Former PM Chandrashekhar passes away; body brought home

New Delhi, July 8 (UNI) Former prime minister Chandrashekhar died after prolonged illness in a city hospital here this morning.

The end came at 0830 hrs at the Apollo Hospital where he was undergoing treatment for cancer for the past three months.

Doctors at the hospital said Chandrashekhar, 80, was suffering from Multiple Myeloma, a cancer of the plasma cell.

The Union Cabinet is meeting this evening to mourn the demise of the socialist leader. The cabinet meeting is scheduled at 1700 hrs and will be presided over by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Meanwhile, the body of the departed leader has been brought from the hospital to his official South Avenue Lane residence.

Railway Minister Lalu Prasad and Minister of State for Food Processing Subodh Kant -- who had been in the Chandrashekhar cabinet -- also reached the late prime minister's residence at the same time.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi, Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, JD(U) national president Sharad Yadav, political secretary to Congress president Ahmed Patel, former prime minister V P Singh, Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat, senior CPM leader Sitaram Yechury, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Union Chemical and Fertiliser Minister Ramvilas Paswan also visited the South Avenue residence to pay their last respects to the departed leader.

The funeral is likely to be held tomorrow evening.

Chandrashekhar was the eleventh prime minister of the country and was in office from November 10, 1990 to June 21, 1991.

UNI