The mortal remains of former Union Minister and veteran Congress leader Narendra Kumar Salve were laid to rest with full state honours at the Jaripataka cemetery after the mass prayer at All Saints Cathedral in Nagpur on Monday.

Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ambika Soni and Heavy Industries Minister Praful Patel, Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan along with his cabinet colleagues and others were present at the burial ceremony.

The leaders across political spectrum expressed grief over demise of the multi-faceted veteran leader and staunch protagonist of the movement for separate state of Vidarbha. Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and Maharashtra Governor K. Sankaranarayanan also lauded Salve’s important contribution in a variety of fields in public life while paying their rich tributes.

Earlier, his body was brought in Nagpur last night. He breathed his last at a private hospital in New Delhi yesterday owing to age-related illness.