Leaders, Congress workers bid adieu to Gurudas Kamat in Mumbai

The senior Congress leader, 63, died of cardiac arrest on Wednesday

Amid thousands of party workers and leaders, senior Congress leader and former Union minister Gurudas Kamat was cremated at Charai crematorium in Chembur on Thursday afternoon with full state honours.

Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis pays tribute to senior Congress leader Gurudas Kamat in Mumbai on Thursday. (SATISH BATE/HT PHOTO)

Born, on October 5, 1954 in Ankola in Karnataka, Kamat completed his graduation from RA Padar College and post-graduation from Government Law College, Mumbai. Kamat, 63, was a four-term MP, from Mumbai North-East constituency and once from North-West constituency, and minister of state for home, communication and information and technology. He suffered a massive cardiac arrest on Wednesday morning while on a visit to New Delhi and died in a private hospital in Chanakyapuri. His body was flown to Mumbai by his son, Dr Sunil Kamat, on Wednesday evening.

CM Devendra Fadnavis, All India Congress Committee general secretary and Maharashtra in-charge Mallikarjun Kharge, State Congress chief Ashok Chavan, state ministers Vinod Tawde and Prakash Mehta, former chief minister Narayan Rane, Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam, former ministers and Congress leaders Arif Naseem Khan, Chandrakant Handore and BJP’s Mumbai chief Ashish Shelar were among those present. Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, who is out of the country, paid a tribute by sending a wreath through party office-bearers.

Eyebrows were raised about the decision of not keeping Kamat’s body at the party’s Mumbai office at Azad Maidan as per the tradition, but Nirupam said it was the decision of the family and the party respected their sentiments.