Veteran RSP leader and former minister K Pankajakshan was cremated in the presence of a large number of mourners here on Thursday.
In a tribute to the stalwart and unassuming leader, the cremation was held on the office premises of the Titanium Employees Union at Chakkai.
The cremation was held with full state honours.
Earlier, unmindful of the heavy rains, people from all walks of life poured in to pay their last respects to the departed leader, when the body was kept at his residence at Pettah in the morning, and later at the VJT Hall and the RSP state committee office at Plamood.
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, Speaker G Karthikeyan, Opposition leader V S Achuthanandan and other dignitaries andleaders were among those who paid their homage to the departed leader.
The body of Pankajakshan, which was kept in the mortuary after he breathed his last on Tuesday night in the Medical College Hospital here, was brought to his home by around 8 am on Thursday.
Ministers K M Mani, Shibu Baby John and V S Sivakumar paid their last respects to the departed leader at the VJT Hall.
The stream of mourners reflected the high regard with which the non-corrupt and committed leader was held in the minds of the people.
CONDOLENCE MEET A condolence meet was held in the trade union office after the cremation.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said that Pankajakshan would remain alive in the minds of the people for the commitment and prowess displayed in his field of activity.
Speaker G Karthikeyan, with whom Pankajakshan contested his last election unsuccessfully in the Aryanad Assembly segment, had only good words for the latter.
‘’His outlook was neither Left or Right, but was based on humanism,’’Karthikeyan said.
The Speaker said that Pankajakshan was one among those who had maintained high values in public life and friendly relations with all.
His functioning as a minister was a model to others.
He never gave promises which cannot be met.
“Pankajakshan was able to steer clear of controversies,’’ he said.
RSP national general secretary T J Chandrachoodan recalled that his predecessor was one who took pride in describing himself as a commoner and often talked about the modest background from which he came up in life.
RSP state secretary A A Azeez MLA presided over the condolence meet.
LDF convenor Vaikom Viswan, Labour Minister Shibu Baby John, Health Minister V S Sivakumar, former ministers M A Baby ,N K Premachandran, A Neelalohitadas and others also spoke.
Though the cremation was originally planned at the Thycaud crematorium, plans were changed late on Tuesday night after the proposal to cremate the veteran leader matching his stature as one who had led umpteen struggles in the trade union movement, was considered by partymen and well-wishers.
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