A two-day national mourning would be observed from Sunday as a mark of respect to Lok Sabha speaker G M C Balayogi, who died in a helicopter crash in Andhra Pradesh on Sunday morning.
The decision was taken at a special meeting of the union cabinet in New Delhi on Sunday.
Reports from Hyderabad said that the Andhra Pradesh cabinet held an emergency meeting at chief minister Chandrababu Naidu's Jubilee Hills residence and declared March 4 as a holiday in the state.
The state would observe mourning till March 6.
The national flag will fly at half mast during the mourning period in New Delhi and in Andhra Pradesh.
President K R Narayanan, vice-president Krishan Kant and Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee joined the nation in condoling the tragic demise of Balayogi.
Reports from Hyderabad said that vice-president Krishna Kant, Rajya Sabha deputy chairperson Najma Heptullah, union home minister L K Advani, Lok Sabha deputy speaker P M Sayeed, former prime minister I K Gujral and CPI (M) MP Somnath Chatterjee airdashed to the city on Sunday evening and paid their homage to the departed leader.
Balayogi's body will be brought to the capital on Monday and his funeral will take place at his native village Yedurlanka near Amlapuram in East Godavari district on March 6.
A local holiday will be observed in East Godavari district on March 6 to enable the people to pay homage to the departed leader.
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee is likely to attend the funeral, sources said.
Bureau Report
