Mandya (Karnataka), Dec 11 : The funeral of veteran politician, former Karnataka Chief Minister and Padma Vibhushan S.M. Krishna was held on Wednesday.

The funeral of the statesman was held as per Hindu Vokkaliga traditions and with government honours at his native place Somanahalli near Maddur town in Mandya district of Karnataka.

S.M. Krishna's grandson and Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar's son-in-law Amartya Hegde performed the final rites and lit the sandalwood pyre.

Sources stated that 1,000 kilos of sandalwood logs were used to prepare the funeral pyre.

Dy CM Shivakumar himself monitored the funeral arrangements of his close relative S.M. Krishna.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, his Cabinet ministers, Congress MLAs, former CM B.S. Yediyurappa, state BJP President B.Y. Vijayendra, Leader of Opposition R. Ashoka and other dignitaries were present during the final rites.

Vokkaliga seer Nirmalanandanatha Swami and other religious saints were also present.

Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel, H.D. Kumaraswamy and Union Minister for Food, Public Distribution and Consumer Affairs Pralhad Joshi had come down to attend the funeral and paid their respects to the mortal remains of the departed leader.

S.M. Krishna passed away on Tuesday at the age of 93 after a prolonged illness.

Before quitting the grand old party in 2017, S.M. Krishna, who spent 46 years with the Congress, served in various capacities as a member of the Legislative Assembly, Legislative Council, Lok Sabha, and Rajya Sabha, and held key positions as the Chief Minister of Karnataka, External Affairs Minister, and Governor of Maharashtra.

S.M. Krishna, a nonagenarian veteran politician, is hailed for his contributions to the state by one and all, irrespective of their political affiliations.

S.M. Krishna's efforts for the state, right from launching the Mid-Day Meal (MDM) Scheme in Karnataka for students, to building 'Brand Bengaluru' are hailed across the political spectrum.

The Congress government introduced the MDM Scheme in the state during the year 2002-03 under S.M. Krishna's leadership.

The Yashasvini health insurance scheme launched by S.M. Krishna is considered another major contribution to the people of the state. Until then, there was no such health insurance scheme.

S.M. Krishna contested the Legislative Assembly elections independently as early as 1962. He was a rare politician who served in all four legislative bodies: Legislative Assembly, Legislative Council, Rajya Sabha, and Lok Sabha.

After a long political career with the Congress, he joined the BJP and announced his retirement from politics within a year.

S.M. Krishna's efforts are hailed for bringing the international airport to Bengaluru and for playing a key role in bringing the Metro project to the city.

In recognition of his contributions, the Modi government had honored S.M. Krishna with the Padma Vibhushan in 2023.

It is a known fact that during his tenure as the CM, the IT/BT companies came to Bengaluru in large numbers.

He is also known as an internationally-renowned statesman who brought the Silicon City tag to Bengaluru.

/IANS