Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee dies in New Delhi on Thursday, after a prolonged illness.
Leaders cutting across political parties and industrial organisations paid rich tribute to the departed soul.
‘Such a person is rarely born’
Opposition leader Sharad Yadav, who had served in the Vajpayee Cabinet, described the former Prime Minister as a statesman and one of the greatest leaders India has produced.
“He was a great human being, poet, leader and above all a statesman,” Mr. Yadav said in a statement.
He recalled that Vajpayee was one of the four MPs who had won on the ticket of Bharatiya Jana Sangh in 1957 and then President S. Radhakrishnan was surprised to hear the party’s name as “he had not heard of it“.
“It showed that he was a very popular leader with whose name the party became known to Parliament,” Mr. Yadav said.
“Such people are rarely born,” he said.
“In his passing away, I have not only lost my beloved person but the country has lost a great patriot, parliamentarian, statesman and a veteran leader, who was very popular for his non-partisan politics,” he said.
Statesman who contributed to bringing a change in India-Pakistan relations, says Islamabad
Statement from spokesperson of the Pakistan Foreign Ministry:
“We have learnt with sadness the passing away of Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, former Prime Minister of India, who was undergoing treatment in a hospital in New Delhi.
“Mr. Vajpayee was a renowned statesman who contributed to bringing a change in India-Pakistan relations and remained a key supporter of SAARC and regional cooperation for development.
“The Government and people of Pakistan extend their heartfelt condolences to his family and to the Government and people of India.”![]