Gujarat speaker cremated with full state honours

Indo-ASIAN NEWS SERVICE

AHMEDABAD - Gujarat assembly Speaker Ashok Bhatt, who died of multiple organ failure Wednesday night, was cremated with full state honours here Thursday.

An urgent cabinet meeting, presided over by Chief Minister Narendra Modi, passed a condolence resolution paying tributes to Bhatt. It also announced two days state mourning on Thursday and Friday and a holiday Thursday in government offices at Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad.

Modi visited Bhatt\’s home in Khadia here to offer his condolences.

Bhatt\’s body was then brought to the assembly building to enable government employees and well wishers to pay their last respects. Later, the body was taken to the state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters in Ahmedabad where cabinet ministers, bureaucrats and party workers paid their last respects before the body was taken to the crematorium for the last rites.

Born Jan 28, 1939 at Ahmedabad in an ordinary labourer\’s family, Bhatt studied up to matriculation and began his career as a worker in a textile mill.

He began his public life in 1956, when he took part in the Mahagujarat agitation as a student worker.

He was first elected to the assembly in 1975 and became its longest serving member, being elected eight times. He also held numerous ministerial responsibilities from