Modi left for Goa to pay last respect to ex-cabinet colleague Parrikar

Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for Goa on Monday morning to pay tribute to chief minister Manohar Parrikar who died of pancreatic cancer on Sunday. Modi left for Goa soon after the Union Cabinet meeting, which was convened to condole the demise of Parrikar.

The Goa chief minister's body has been kept at the BJP office in Panaji for the party leaders and workers to pay their last respects. From there, his body would be taken to Kala Academy, around three km away, to allow the public to pay their tribute to him.

Parrikar, a four-time chief minister, died at his private residence Sunday evening after battling a pancreatic ailment since February last year. The IIT graduate represented Panaji Assembly seat in the state for over two decades. Parrikar's final journey will begin after 4 pm.

His last rites will be performed at 5 pm at the Miramar beach here, next to the memorial of Goa's first chief minister Dayanand Bandodkar, who was also cremated there. Parrikar would be accorded a state funeral with full military honours, according to the home ministry. The central government has announced national mourning on Monday.