With misty eyes, hundreds of people paid tributes to former Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Narayan Dutt Tiwari at Haldwani (Nainital) on Sunday. The mortal remains of the veteran Congress leader were consigned to flames at Ranibagh’s Chitrasheela Ghat. The funeral pyre was lit by his son Rohit Shekhar Tiwari amidst chanting of mantras.
The body of ND Tiwari was kept for public viewing at the Kathgodam Circuit House. The circuit house was packed with people from all walks of life on Sunday. Later, the body of the deceased leader was moved to an open truck from the circuit house to Ranibagh. The chant ‘Narayan Dutt Tiwari, amar rehey,’ echoed during the last journey of one of the most prominent political leaders ever produced by Uttarakhand.
Ninety-three-year-old Tiwari passed away at a private hospital in New Delhi on October 18 after a prolonged illness. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, ministers, Congress leaders, and the general public attended the last rites of ND Tiwari at Haldwani.
CM Rawat said, “Tiwari ji was committed to development. We never saw him lose his patience. I remember an incident. Vishva Hindu Parishad leader Ashok Singhal was a close friend of ND Tiwari. Singhal ji was in Dehradun and came to know that Tiwari ji is ill and is hospitalized at Himalayan Hospital and decided to meet him. I accompanied the VHP leader and told him that no matter how bad the health of Tiwari ji is he will be standing in front of his room in the hospital to receive you. And when we reached, we found Tiwariji standing with a bouquet in his hands.”
Over four thousand people attended the cremation of their beloved leader. Popularly known as ‘Vikas Purush,’ Tiwari had friends and admirers in every party. Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat has demanded to name a stadium at Haldwani after the deceased leader.