Udupi, February 15: The Higher Education Minister Dr Vedavyas Srinivas Acharya, who passed away on Tuesday afternoon at Bangalore, was laid to rest with full state honours in the presence of a galaxy of political leaders and thousands of grief-stricken people.
The mortal remains of BJP veteran were consigned to flames in the early minutes of Wednesday at Hindu Rudra Bhoomi at Beedinagudde, near here.
Police fired three rounds in the air as a mark of respect to the departed leader. Though the last rites were commenced at 11:40 pm, Dr Acharya's two sons Dr Raviraj Acharya and Dr Kiran Acharya together lit the pyre amid chanting of hymns at 12:15 am.
A pall of gloom descended as his supporters turned up in large numbers to pay their last respects to the upper caste leader.
Prior to this the mortal remains were kept in front of Deputy Commissioner's office complex at End Point, Manipal for public viewing till 9:30 pm. The ambulance carrying the body from Mangalore Airport had reached Manipal around 8:15 pm.
Later, the mortal remains were taken to Dr Acharya's residence in Katte Acharya Marg, near Kadiyali, where his wife Shantha V Acharya, family members and relatives paid their last respect to their beloved patriarch.
Senior BJP leader and former Prime Minister L K Advani visited the family of Dr Acharya at 10: 45 pm, and then proceeded to the crematorium to participate in the final rites.
Apart from Mr Advani senior leaders of the state cabinet headed by Chief Minister DV Sadananda Gowda took part in the cremation.
Cutting across party lines, dignitaries like former CM BS Yeddyurappa, chairman of the Legislative Council DH Shankaramurthy, Congress veteran B Janardhan Poojary, Jagadish Shettar, Vishweshwar Hegade Kageri, Suresh Kumar, CM Udasi, Murugesh Nirani, Chandrakanth Bellad, Basavraj Bommai, Manorama Madhwaraj, Amarnath Shetty, Dr M Mohan Alva, Dr Ramdas M Pai, Dr HS Ballal, K Raghupathi Bhat, Haladi Srinivas Shetty, Gopal Bhandary, Kota Srinivas Poojary, Lalaji Mendon, Laxminarayana, Pratapchandra Shetty, Harikrishna Punaroor, Hallappa, Vinay Kumar Sorake, Sunil Kumar, Jayaprakash Hegde and others paid their last respect to the departed leader.
Speaking on the occassion Sadananda Gowda said that Dr Acharya had promised him to spend 15 days exclusively with him for preparing the state budget. With the death of Acharya he had lost a major helping hand.
Shankaramurthy said that though Acharya was a medical doctor he had medicine for most of the social problems. From Horticulture to Finance and from Education to Home Acharya not only had the knowledge but also was thorough on them, he said.
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