Former CM Amarsinh cremated

Former Gujarat Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly Amarsinh Chaudhary was cremated at his native Dolvan village in Vyara, on Tuesday. Hundreds of locals, along with several state and national political leaders, attended the cremation ceremony.

Chaudhary passed away at a hospital in Ahmedabad on Sunday, after prolonged illness, while his body was brought to Vyara via road on Monday evening. The funeral procession started this morning at around 8 am from his house and passed through most areas of Vyara.

Chaudhary's cremation took place at about 10:45 am, when his pyre was lit by his eldest son Tushar Chaudhary, sitting MP from Mandvi.

The grief-stricken town of Vyara observed a voluntary bandh with shops, commercial establishments and majority of the schools, remaining closed for the day. Around 35,000 to 40,000 people, were present when Chaudhary was cremated.

Chaudhary's funeral procession and his final rites were attended by hordes of political personalities including Chief Minister Narendra Modi, Union Textiles Minister Shankarsinh Vaghela, Union Minister of State for Railways Naransinh Rathwa, political advisor to Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Ahmed Patel, Gujarat Congress in-charge Mukul Wasnik, Gujarat Congress President B K Gadhvi, Surat MP Kashiram Rana, Gujarat Water Resources Minister Narottam Patel, Gujarat Law Minister Ashok Bhatt, Gujarat Tribal Welfare Minister Mangu Patel, Valsad MP Kishan Patel, Mehsana MP Jeeva Patel, Gujarat Congress vice president Kadir Pirzada, Gujarat Congress general secretary Rizwan Usmani, Surat City Congress President Sunil Bhukhanwala, and hundreds of other Congress workers and leaders from Surat, Valsad, Bharuch, Navsari and other places.

Ahmed Patel and Shankarsinh Vaghela also handed over the condolence messages of Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, respectively, to the bereaved family.