Thousands of people thronged the streets of Kathmandu for the funeral procession of the late prime minister and Nepali Congress President Girija Prasad Koirala on Sunday. Koirala was cremated in Aryaghat, Pashupatinath on Sunday evening following a procession from the National Stadium that took several hours.
Here is a round-up of reactions to his death.
President Ram Baran Yadav told Republica:
"While our country is passing through a historical transitional phase, the nation has incurred a huge loss by the death of Koirala who led over a six-decade long movement for building a modern Nepal for nationality and for the Nepali society. The path of peace and consensus he showed us will always be relevant."
Maoist leader Baburam Bhattarai wrote in Republica:
"Despite his many human weaknesses, especially his known Dhritarastra syndrome, GPK had risen to the status of a patron father-figure in Nepali politics. His commitments to peace and democracy were unquestionable. It is sad that he has left us when we need his counseling and guidance the most in the coming months."
Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal wrote in Republica:
"In the past we did not like him at all; we would take on him as an extreme anti-communist. In the beginning of the people´s war we had waged a fight against the Tanakpur treaty and other anti-national moves. But our views about Girijababu underwent massive change at that stage. As he was concerned over my security, I felt it as love bestowed upon a child by its guardian. I felt that the heart of the old man was different; his was a great heart. When we reached Baluwatar for the first time, he told Krishna Situala to arrange special security for us. In the past we thought that the old man would be narrow-minded, but I felt it was wrong. I realized that he was a different kind of person."
Former prime minister and Nepali Congress leader Krishna Prasad Bhattarai told Nagarik:
"Girijababu’s death has made a irreparable damage to the nation. His manners were friendly, his personality was inspirational. One cannot say anything except this. That would be a mistake."
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said in a statement:
"Beginning with his days in the trade union movement, Koirala spent his entire political life championing the cause of the people. He was first and foremost a democrat and his long struggle to usher in democracy in Nepal reached a successful conclusion when he became the first democratically elected Prime Minister of Nepal in 1991."He was a mass leader and a statesman, whose knowledge and wisdom guided the polity of Nepal in the right direction at critical junctures in the country’s history."
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said in a statement:
"Mr. Koirala's death is a huge loss for Nepal and its ongoing peace process. As a friend of the United Nations and a staunch believer in its ideals and principles, Mr. Koirala will be remembered as a strong voice of multilateralism and global cooperation."
Republica has more reactions at this link. Please add anything you think might be useful to other readers using the comment section below.