Cabinet pays tribute to Devi Lal

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, APRIL 7. The Union Cabinet today paid rich tributes to the former Deputy Prime Minister, Choudhary Devi Lal, who died here on Friday following a cardiac arrest at the age of 87.

A resolution adopted at a special meeting of the Cabinet presided over by the Prime Minister, Mr. A.B. Vajpayee, observed that Devi Lal was a veteran freedom fighter, a seasoned parliamentarian and a respected kisan (farmer) leader and observed that he he served the nation with distinction as Deputy Prime Minister.

Recording its deep appreciation of the services of Devi Lal to the nation, the resolution recalled that he had left studies at the call of Mahatma Gandhi and actively participated in the civil disobedience movement, the kisan movement and the independence movement.

The Cabinet observed two minutes silence and offered its heartfelt condolences to the members of his family in their bereavement.

The Centre also announced that as a mark of respect to the departed leader, State mourning would be observed throughout the country for three days from today. During the period, the national flag would be flown at half-mast and there would be no official entertainment.

The Prime Minister joined a steady stream of mourners in paying homage to the former Deputy Prime Minister. He visited the residence of Devi Lal at Lodi Estate and placed a wreath on the body. Mr. Vajpayee also cancelled his trip to Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh, which was earlier scheduled for today.

Our Staff Reporter reports:

A sea of humanity converged at Kisan Ghat this evening to bid a final farewell to Devi Lal. The funeral procession, which started from his Lodi Estate residence in a decorated gun carriage, passed through the heart of the city. A large number of people lined the entire route. Slogans like ``Jab tak suraj chand rehaga, Tau tera nam rahega'' and ``Chaudhary Devi Lal amar rahe'' rent the air throughout the procession and at the cremation ground.

The funeral pyre was lit by his eldest son and the Chief Minister of Haryana, Mr. Om Prakash Chautala, at 4-20 p.m. amid chanting of Vedic hymns. Several eminent personalities including the Vice- President, Mr. Krishan Kant; the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee; the Union Home Minister, Mr. L.K. Advani; the former Prime Minister, Mr. H. D. Deve Gowda; the Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Punjab, Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu and Mr. Prakash Singh Badal; the senior Congress(I) leader, Mr. Manmohan Singh; the Samajwadi Party chief, Mr. Mulayam Singh Yadav; and almost all the Haryana Cabinet Ministers were present on the occasion.

Earlier in the day, many leaders, including the Vice- President, the former Prime Ministers, Mr. P. V. Narasimha Rao, Mr. H. D. Deve Gowda and Mr. I. K. Gujral, many Union Cabinet Ministers, Parliamentarians and leaders of various political parties paid tributes to the departed leader at his residence.

There was a mad scramble among the emotionally charged followers of ``Tau'', all donning green and white turbans, who had come from Haryana and Punjab. Mr. Ram Singh (80), a farmer from Karnal in Haryana, along with around 50 people of his village left early in the morning to reach Delhi. He said soon after the villagers heard of his death, the panchayat decided that the village should have a representation at the funeral.

``When we have fought with `Tau' for our rights for the past 35 years, how can we leave him alone in his last journey,'' Mr. Singh said, his eyes brimming with tears.

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