President Ram Nath Kovind while calling Vajpayee a "true Indian statesman", said, "Extremely sad to hear of the passing of Shri #AtalBihariVajpayee, our former Prime Minister and a true Indian statesman. His leadership, foresight, maturity&eloquence put him in a league of his own. Atalji, the Gentle Giant, will be missed by one & all."
Calling the former PM as "ajatshatru" of modern times, Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu said that Vajpayee always maintained dignity and decorum. "Never expected end will come so soon. He was a true Indian. He never hesitated to speak from his heart. He was the tallest leader in India post independence. Vajpayee ji is 'ajatshatru' of modern times because he always maintained dignity and decorum," said the VP.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi also mourned the loss of former PM and said, "Today India lost a great son. Former PM #AtalBihariVaajpayee ji, was loved and respected by millions. My condolences to his family & all his admirers. We will miss him."
Saying that he was at a "loss of words to express deep grief and sadness" at the passing away of one of India’s tallest statesmen, senior BJP leader L K Advani, in a statement, said, "I am at a loss of words to express my deep grief and sadness today as we all mourn the passing away of one of India’s tallest statesmen, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee. To me, Atalji was more than a senior colleague- in fact he was my closest friend for over 65 years."
"This is a very sad moment for us that Atal ji is no more. Shortly his mortal remains will be taken to his residence where people can pay tribute to him," said Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah while calling it a "personal loss" took to Twitter and said, "Vajpayee Sahib is no more & I feel a personal sense of loss at his passing. Thank you sir for the opportunities, for the trust you reposed in me, for the opportunities to travel with you & to learn from you. You will be greatly missed." He further wrote, "Words mean so little at a time like this but words are all we have to convey the deepest condolences to Gunu, to Neha, to Ranjan & the entire family. May God give you strength to bear this tremendous loss."
Former President Pranab Mukherjee condling the death of Vajpayee said, "Deeply saddened at the passing away of Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee. A reasoned critique in opposition and a seeker of consensus as PM, Atal Ji was a democrat to the core. In his passing away, India has lost a great son and an era has come to an end. My deepest condolences."
Saying that Vajpayee brought "political stability" to the country, Uttar Pradesh CM said, "He worked in the national interest rather than personal interest, he brought a political stability to our country. His ashes will be spread in every river in UP to respect his grand stature."
"It is a big loss for the country, he was a very simple man inspite of being such a senior leader. There was not even a shred of arrogance in him. Current leaders need to learn a lot from him," said SP patron Mulayam Singh Yadav.
TMC chief and West Bengal CM said that Vajpayee's death was a "very big loss" to the nation. "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," she said.
from Times of India https://ift.tt/2nJmjMC
