Political leaders express grief over Atal Bihari Vajpayee's demise

Vajpayee, 93, passed away at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi on Thursday. He left his last breath at 5: 05 pm.

He was admitted to the hospital on June 11 with a kidney tract infection, urinary tract infection, low urine output and chest congestion. 

Condoling Vajpayee's death, President Ram Nath Kovind tweeted, "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"

In a message, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu said that he visited him earlier in the morning but didn't imagine that the end will come so soon.

"He is, undoubtedly, one of the tallest leaders in post-independence India," Naidu said.

"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," he added.

Mourning his death, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, "I am speechless, I am blank but there is a tide of thoughts flooding me.Our respected Atal ji is no more. He dedicated all his life to the country. It is an end of an era"

In a follow up tweet, the Prime Minister said: "Atal ji is no more but his direction, inspiration will be there for our country and the BJP......."

Expressing his tearful tribute, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah tweeted to hail Vajpayee's oratory skills, personality and his popularity.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi tweeted, "Today India lost a great son. Former PM, Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji, was loved and respected by millions. My condolences to his family & all his admirers. We willmiss him."

Calling the former Prime Minister as a "statesmen", West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who was the Union Minister in Vajpayee-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, tweeted, "Very very saddened that the great statesman and former PM Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji is no more with us. His passing away is a very big loss to our nation. I will always cherish the many fond memories. Condolences to his family and his many admirers"

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who was also a part of Vajpayee government, tweeted, "We have lost one of the greatest visionaries the nation has seen, on this unfortunate day. The beloved former Prime Minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji will continue to inspire us and the generations to come. May he rest in peace."

Sharing an old image with Vajpayee, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje tweeted, "I remember those early days of #BJP when under Atal ji and Rajmata ji I took my first steps into politics. Learning the ropes from the best, Atal ji’s wisdom and wit always proved to be an unmatched combination - his trademark style that #India came to love."

In a follow up tweet, Raje said: "With the passing of Shri #AtalBihariVajpayee ji #India has lost its tallest leader of modern times, a political thinker whose wit was unparalleled and a champion of India - even when the motherland was marred by the emergency and had lost all hope."

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who had once worked under Vajpayee at the Centre, said in a tweet, "Saddened to hear the demise of former Indian Prime Minister and Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The country has lost an able politician, orator, writer, thinker, guardian and charismatic personality. A polite farewell to him."

Vajpayee, whose first term as the Prime Minister lasted only 13 days in 1996, returned to the top position in 1998 to lead the nation till 2004. 

A bachelor all his life, he was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour, in 2015.

Vajpayee was elected to the Lok Sabha (lower house) ten times and twice to the Rajya Sabha (upper house).

He represented the Lucknow parliamentary seat in Uttar Pradesh until 2009 when he retired from active politics.