• Home

Former Indian PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee passes away

Vajpayee was admitted to hospital on June 11 with a kidney tract infection and chest congestion.

Read more...

Former Indian prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, who ordered nuclear tests to make India a nuclear weapons power and travelled by bus to Pakistan in a grand diplomatic gesture, died on Thursday, the hospital where he was being treated said in a statement. He was 93.
A poet-politician, Vajpayee was one of the most popular leaders of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Modi said Vajpayee's stewardship had put India on a fast track to growth.

Former Prime Minister & Bharat Ratna #AtalBihariVaajpayee passes away in AIIMS. He was 93. pic.twitter.com/r12aIPF5G0
- ANI (@ANI) August 16, 2018

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: President Kovind (File pic) pic.twitter.com/VmbIap4tmq
- ANI (@ANI) August 16, 2018

I have no words, I am filled with emotions right now.Our respected Atal ji is no more. Every moment of his life he had dedicated to the nation: PM Narendra Modi #AtalBihariVaajpayee (file pic) pic.twitter.com/Av30u3tiKS
- ANI (@ANI) August 16, 2018

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.
- Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 16, 2018

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.
- Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 16, 2018

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.
- Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 16, 2018

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.
- Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 16, 2018

"It was Atal Ji's exemplary leadership that set the foundations for a strong, prosperous and inclusive India in the 21st century," Modi said in a tweet.
Vajpayee served as prime minister briefly in 1996 then again from 1998 to 2004.
"Former PM, Atal Behari Vajpayee was loved and respected by millions. My condolences to his family & all his admirers. We will miss him," Rahul Gandhi, president of the opposition Congress party, tweeted.
Vajpayee suffered a stroke in 2009 and retreated from public view. Leaders of the BJP were gathering at his home in New Delhi to pay their respects.
Vajpayee was one of the few leaders of the BJP to express anguish when hundreds of Muslims were killed rioting in 2002 in the western state of Gujarat.
Vajpayee was not afraid to take risks. He gave the go-ahead for underground nuclear tests in 1998 believing nuclear weapons would be deterrent against China and Pakistan.