Doyen of Indian politics and a great statesman, former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has died at the age of 93 at All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) New Delhi this evening at 05:05 pm. He had been on life-support since Wednesday night after he was admitted to the hospital on June 11 with urinary infection and chest congestion.
Condoling the demise of Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, President Shri Ram Nath Kovind, in a tweet, said, “Extremely sad to hear of the passing of Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, our former Prime Minister and a true Indian statesman. His leadership, foresight, maturity and eloquence put him in a league of his own. Atalji, the Gentle Giant, will be missed by one and all.”
The Vice President Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu, in a message, has condoled the passing away of the former Prime Minister. He said that he visited him today morning but didn’t imagine that the end will come so soon.
“Sad to know that Shri Atalji is no more. I visited him today morning but didn’t imagine that the end will come so soon. He is, undoubtedly, one of the tallest leaders in post-independence India. His contribution to strengthen democracy and good governance has been stupendous. He successfully ran a coalition of 23 parties with his rare persuasive charm and competence, the Vice-President said.
“He will be remembered for ushering in the connectivity revolution in the country. ‘Bharat Ratna’ Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee’s qualities of Vyakthitva (personality), Vakthruthva (oratory), Karthruthva (devotion to duty), Mithrutva (friendliness) all combined in his remarkable ‘Nethrutva’ will be remembered for a along time to come,” Shri Venkaiah Naidu added.
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has expressed his strong grief over the demise of Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee. “India grieves the demise of our beloved Atal Ji. His passing away marks the end of an era. He lived for the nation and served it assiduously for decades. My thoughts are with his family, BJP Karyakartas and millions of admirers in this hour of sadness. Om Shanti,” the Prime Minister said in a condolence message.
“It was Atal Ji’s exemplary leadership that set the foundations for a strong, prosperous and inclusive India in the 21st century. His futuristic policies across various sectors touched the lives of each and every citizen of India. Atal Ji’s passing away is a personal and irreplaceable loss for me. I have countless fond memories with him. He was an inspiration to Karyakartas like me. I will particularly remember his sharp intellect and outstanding wit,” Shri Narendra Modi said.
The Prime Minister said that it was due to the perseverance and struggles of Atal Ji that the BJP was built brick by brick. “He travelled across the length and breadth of India to spread the BJP’s message, which led to the BJP becoming a strong force in our national polity and in several states”, the Prime Minister said in a series of tweets,” he added.
