Thousands pay tributes to departed leader

Thousands of people, including ministers, political leaders, and pontiffs paid their last respects to the late Cooperation and Sugar Minister H S Mahadeva Prasad, who died of cardiac arrest at a resort near Chikkamagaluru, on Tuesday.

The body of Prasad, which arrived at Mysuru from Chikkamagaluru at 4 pm, was kept in front of his house ‘Devageeta’ on Gaganachumbi Double Road, in the city, till 7 pm. The mortal remains was later shifted it to Gundlupet in Chamarajanagar district, the native place of Mahadev Prasad.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, former prime minister H D Deve Gowda, ministers K J George, Dr H C Mahadevappa, R V Deshapande, A Manju, D K Shivakumar, MPs R Dhruvanarayan, C S Puttaraju, and Pratap Simha, MLAs Vasu, M K Somashekar, H P Manjunath, K Venkatesh, G T Devegowda, and Sa Ra Mahesh, Mayor M J Ravikumar, corporators R Lingappa, Sandesh Swamy, BJP leaders S A Ramdas, T S Ravishankar, pontiffs Shivarathri Deshikendra Swami of Suttur mutt, and Veerabhadra Chennamalla Swami of Nidumamidi mutt paid their respects to the departed soul.

Earlier, speaking to media at Maddur in Mandya district, Deve Gowda said that Prasad was an able leader and had worked with him for three decades. Prasad had taken up several pro-people activities, he said.

As the news of the death of the minister broke out, a large number of Prasad’s supporters and leaders of all political parties gathered in front of his house to console Prasad’s family members — son H M Ganesh Prasad, wife Geeta Mahadev Prasad, daughter-in-law Vidya, Prasad’s brother Nanjunda Prasad, and sister Prema.

As a large number of people thronged the house, the police had made elaborate security arrangements and had also restricted traffic movement on Gaganachumbi Double Road.

The last rites of Mahadeva Prasad will be held on Wednesday at 11 am at his farmhouse in Halahalli, Gundlupet taluk, in Chamarajanagar district as per the tradition of Lingayat community.