Post date: Nov 18, 2012 7:28:48 PM
Millions of Indians bid tearful adieu to Balasaheb Thackeray as India's firebrand Hindu leader is cremated before a sea of supporters in Mumbai.
MUMBAI, MAHARASHTRA, INDIA (NOVEMBER 18, 2012) (ANI) - Millions of Indians watched the funeral of the deceased leader of the Hinduradical Shiv Sena party, Bal Thackeray, on Sunday (November 18) in Mumbai, as his family went through the traditional Hindu rituals of burning his body.
Bal Keshav Thackeray, one of India's most polarising politicians and leader of an influential right-wing Hindu nationalist party, the Shiv Sena, that has dominated politics in the country's richest city for two decades, died aged 86 in Mumbai city on Saturday (November 17).His funeral procession literally brought Mumbai city to a halt as thousands took to the streets, flyovers and even on top of trees for a final glimpse of their beloved leader.
A religious requiem was recited at the funeral site at Shivaji Park in central Mumbai, where millions of mourners and dignitaries' came to pay their last respects.
With tearful eyes, Uddhav performed traditional rituals for his father's soul to rest in peace.
India's political fraternity forgetting differences, assembled with Mumbai's glamour world as well as corporate barons and thousands of supporters for the farewell to the mortal remains of the firebrand radical leader.
During the funereal procession, thousands of his supporters volunteered to be the pallbearers.
Setting aside political rift with various outfits, senior leader of ruling Congress party Rajiv Shukla who is also India's junior Minister of Parliamentary Affairs joined the mourners, which included federal lawmaker and senior leader of main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Arun Jaitley.
They were seen sitting next to each other and sharing their thoughts.
Bollywood actors like Amitabh Bachchan, Nana Patekar, and Riteish Deshmukh among others made their presence felt to mourn the demise of Thackeray.
Indian businessman Anil Ambani along with leaders of India's main oppositionBharatiya Janata Party (BJP) like Nitin Gadkari, Lal Krishna Advani, Smriti Irani, Prakash Javadekar, Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj, Nationalist Congress Party leaders, Sharad Pawar, Praful Patel were also present to attend the Balasaheb's funeral.
Earlier, the body of Thackeray was placed on a floral bed for the supporters to have the final glimpse of their leader.
He was one of the most prominent and outspoken figures of India's Hindu nationalist movement, and rose to prominence with his fiery rhetoric against immigration in India's richest city.
He was admitted into a central Mumbai hospital in July but was later discharged and returned home.
According to the family physician, Dr. Jalil Parker, Thackeray died of cardio-respiratory arrest.
The founder and president of the hardliner Shiv Sena party, Thackeray, was as famous for his saffron-coloured robes, white beard and tinted sunglasses as his firebrand rhetoric on social issues such as immigration and communalism.
He called for the formation of Hindu suicide squads and even ordered followers to dig up a cricket pitch to stop the Pakistani team from playing in Mumbai.
His rise to power in Mumbai, a city of about 20 million people, underscored the strong pull of religion and regionalism in modern India, a constitutionally secular country prone to clashes over its many faiths and traditions.
Always seen in oversized tinted sunglasses, even when indoors, with a necklace of beads over orange robes typically worn by religious figures, Thackeray held a strong grip on Mumbai through his army of loyal supporters, whose rallies and protests often turned violent and forced the city to a halt.
"Having peace talks with Pakistan which is behind the blasts in India is a farce,"Thackeray wrote in Saamna in July, referring to bomb attacks in Mumbai in 2008. "Playing cricket with them is treason," he added.
A government inquiry into riots in Mumbai in 1992 and 1993 said "there is no doubt that the Shiv Sena and Shiv Sainiks took the lead in organising attacks on Muslims and their properties under the guidance of several leaders of the Shiv Sena".
Thackeray was never charged in connection with the riots, in which about 600 Muslims were killed.
His political influence and huge following saw him courted by big business and some ofIndia's most famous film stars. Amitabh Bachchan, the biggest name in Bollywood, Mumbai's film industry, fought through crowds outside his house to visit Thackeray this week when the politician's health deteriorated.
Thackeray's views have been condemned by many mainstream politicians, but his party is the fourth-largest in Maharashtra's state legislature, and his face adorns hundreds of billboards across Mumbai.
His death could spark a power struggle in the Shiv Sena, denting its support with its vote base in Maharashtra.
In a video message to party workers last month, a visibly frail and out-of-breathThackeray said he was exhausted and asked them to "take care" of his son, Uddhav, and grandson, Aditya, who are widely seen as his successors.
Thackeray's estranged nephew, Raj, whose skills as a public speaker have drawn comparison with his uncle, broke away from the Shiv Sena in 2006 to form a rival party, and is seen by many to be gaining influence in the state.
Thackeray is survived by three children.