Mumbai:
Prakash, the eldest of the Mahajan brothers, said at the cremation of brother Pravin on Thursday: "One of my brothers killed another. How am I expected to feel?"
Only Prakash attended the cremation. Other family members, including brother-in-law Gopinath Munde and his extended clan stayed away. Even the Mahajan brothers' mother chose not to attend the cremation. Pravin Mahajan, who was convicted for killing his brother, BJP leader Pramod Mahajan, died on Wednesday in a Mumbai hospital.
Prakash said as the "elder of the family, I informed everyone. If other members of the family didn't come, there's really nothing I can do". A few personal friends of Pravin, 50, and relatives of his wife Sarangi were present when son Kapil lit the funeral pyre at the Muktidham Crematorium in Thane.
(In Pics: Pravin Mahajan dies)
Prakash Mahajan had told reporters on Thursday morning that the Mahajan family would bear all the medical expenses of Pravin's 82-day stay in the intensive care unit of Mumbai's Jupiter Hospital.
Pravin, who was serving a life sentence at the Nashik jail, was admitted to Jupiter Hospital in December after a suspected brain haemorrhage.
In 2006, on a quiet April morning, India first confronted Pravin and his troubled relationship with one of India's most charismatic and flamboyant leaders, Pramod Mahajan.
He shot Pramod at the politician's home, then walked calmly into a police station nearby, handed over his gun, and said, by way of introduction, "I am Pravin.I killed Pramod."
Pravin seemed to relish his new-found notoriety.
During the court hearings of the Pramod Mahajan murder case, he showed little remorse over killing his sibling. In court, he claimed that Pramod raised him "like a pet dog."
He said his friends taunted him that his famous brother had done little to help him. And through the course of the trial, Pravin's own testimony brought to life a spooky tale of sibling rivalry that had turned into hatred.
Much of his life came under scrutiny. His flat in Thane. His marriage to Sarangi, a BJP worker, organised by Pramod. His failed businesses, his unsuccessful attempts to enter politics. But Pravin kept suggesting at darker reasons for his horrific act, many of which found their way into a supposedly tell-all book called My Album, published from jail.
In December, he was released on parole. At a press conference, he repeated that his family history had moved him to murder. "Every word I say is true." (with IANS inputs)