Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi are likely to attend the funeral of Union Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh on Wednesday.
It is reported that the funeral procession will start at 3 pm and the last rites on the mortal remains will be done at his native village Bhabhalgaon, Latur District in Maharashtra at around 4 pm on Wednesday.
Sources said that Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi, Sharad Pawar, Sushil Kumar Shinde and All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Janardan Dwivedi will attend the funeral.
The Union Cabinet passed a resolution on Tuesday evening to condole the demise of the Union Minister.
"The Cabinet has learnt with profound sorrow about the passing away of Deshmukh, Union cabinet minister today at Chennai. The Cabinet condoles the untimely and sad demise of Deshmukh," said the press release from the cabinet.
"Deshmukh was a valued member of the Union cabinet. He handled his public responsibilities with tact, politeness and grace. He was held in very high esteem across the political spectrum. In his death, the country has lost a popular leader.
"The Cabinet places on record its appreciation of Shri Vilasrao Deshmukh's services to the nation and deep sense of grief and loss at the passing away of Shri Vilasrao Deshmukh and extends its sincere condolences to the members of his family," added the press release.
The President, Vice President and Prime Minister of the country had earlier condoled the demise of the Union Minister.
Deshmukh (67), Minister of Science and Technology and Minister of Earth Sciences, died of liver cancer in a Chennai hospital on Tuesday. He had been undergoing treatment at Global Hospital, Chennai, for over a week.
