The Body of Surendra Rakesh, the State Transport and Social Welfare Minister, was cremated with full State honours at his native village Bhagwanpur in Haridwar district on Sunday. The body of the departed leader was kept at his house for the people to pay their homage. Chief Minister Harish Rawat, a slew of his Cabinet Ministers and leaders of all political parties attended the funeral.
Chief Minister Harish Rawat, Speaker of State Assembly Govind Singh Kunjwal, Haridwar MP and former Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, former Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna, Cabinet Ministers Indira Hridayesh, Surendra Singh Negi, Printam Singh, Mantri Prasad Naithani, Pritam Singh Panwar, Yashpal Arya, Harish Chandra Durgpal offered their floral tributes to Rakesh. MlS Haridas, Furkan Ahmed, Rajkumar, Chairman of OBC commission Ashok Verma and large number of people from all walks of life also paid their last respects to the departed soul.
In presence of thousands of mourners, the funeral pyre of Rakesh was lit by his son Abhishek Rakesh. Paying glowing tribute to Rakesh, CM Rawat who reached Bhagwanpur after attending the meeting of NITI Aayog in New Delhi said that Rakesh was leader of masses. He said that role of Rakesh in acting as custodian of downtrodden would always be remembered. Describing his passing away a great loss to the State, Rawat declared that the campus of Baba BR Ambedkar Medical College in Haridwar would be named after Rakesh. He also said that the Sikrada Bridge in the district too would be named after him.
Rakesh, who was a prominent Cabinet Minister, had passed away at Medanta Hospital in Gurgaon on Saturday morning. Forty-eight-year-old Rakesh represented Bhagwanpur Assembly constituency of Haridwar. He was elected from Bhagwanpur Assembly segment for two consecutive terms in 2007 and 2012. The Uttarakhand Gover-nment has declared a three-day State mourning in the memory of the departed leader.