RJD veteran Raghuvansh Prasad Singh cremated with full state honours

Senior RJD leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, who died in Delhi's AIIMS battling post-COVID symptoms yesterday, was cremated in Vaishali with full state honours.

Vaishali:Former Union minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh was cremated with full state honours in his native district Vaishali on Monday. His last rites were performed at Hasanpur Ghat on the banks of the Ganga, about 15 km from his village Shahpur in Vaishali district. The mortal remains of Prasad were consigned to flames Ghat with slogans 'Raghuvansh Singh amar rahe'.

Political leaders from the entire political spectrum paid their last respects to the senior RJD leader. His last rites were performed with full COVID-19 protocols with minimum participation following social distancing norms. His younger son Sashi Shekhar lit the pyres.

District Magistrate Udita Singh and Supridentent of Police Shri Manish paid floral tributes and guard of honour to the departed soul.

Known for stewardship of the rural development ministry the ambitious NREGA, Singh died at AIIMS in the national capital where he was admitted for treatment of post-COVID complications, a close aide said.

Singh, a socialist stalwart, was 74, and his survived by two sons and a daughter. He had fallen critically ill on Friday night and was put on a ventilator in the ICU.

Singh became breathless and developed other complications before breathing his last at 11 am, Kedar Yadav, a close associate of Singh told reporters by phone from New Delhi.

READ: Raghuvansh Prasad Singh: The MGNREGA man, Lalu's shadow

Singh, a long-time friend and associate of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, had resigned from the party on Thursday and speculation was rife that he could join Bihar''s ruling JD(U) ahead of the state assembly polls likely in October-November.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and other political leaders condoled the demise of Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, describing him as a 'grassroots levels leader'.

RJD chief Lalu Prasad said he was rendered "speechless" on receiving the news of Singh''s death.

With agency inputs