Reacting to the passing away of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee here on Thursday after prolonged illness, his successor Dr. Manmohan Singh described him as one of "the tallest leaders of modern India".
"I have learnt with profound sorrow about the sad demise of Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji. An excellent orator, an impressive poet, an exceptional Public Servant, an outstanding Parliamentarian and a great Prime Minister, Shri Vajpayee ji stood among the tallest leaders of modern India, who spent his whole life serving our great country. His services to our nation will be remembered for a long time to come," he said in a statement.
The 93-year-old Vajpayee breathed his last at 5:05 pm here on Thursday.
Announcing the demise, All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) in a press release wrote, "Shri Vajpayee was admitted in AIIMS on 11.06.2018 and was stable in the last 9 weeks under the care of a team of AIIMS doctors. Unfortunately, his condition deteriorated over the last 36 hours and he was put on life support systems. Despite the best of efforts, we have lost him today."
Saying that India has lost a great son, Congress president Rahul Gandhi wrote on Twitter, "Former PM Atal Bihari Vaajpayee ji, was loved and respected by millions. My condolences to his family and all his admirers. We will miss him."
Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav said, "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."
Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Girish Chodankar condoled the demise of the BJP veteran and said, "We lost great statesman and great son of India. As PM he worked above party ideology to uphold Democratic values and its institutions. He shown utmost respect to the opposition parties & its leaders and had always appreciated their work whenever needed. Thousands of his admirers will miss. GPCC expresses deep condolences to his family."
The Central Government has announced seven-day state mourning throughout India. During this period the national flag will be flown at half mast throughout the country, where its regularly flown. State funeral will also be accorded to the former Prime Minister.
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