Atal Bihari Vajpayee Funeral LIVE Updates: Thousands Throng BJP HQ to Pay Floral Tributes to Former PM

Delhi Police on Friday said they have made elaborate security arrangements in the city in view of the final journey and funeral ceremony of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The founding member of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who breathed his last at the All India Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi on Thursday, will be laid to rest at the Smriti Sthal on the banks of the Yamuna. "We have made elaborate security arrangements for the last rites and the procession ahead of it. We will ensure that people who come to pay their last respect and the commuters face minimum inconvenience," Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Madhur Verma said.

BJP leaders and party workers, government officials, and representatives from other regional and national parties line up to pay their final respects to former PM Vajpayee, whose mortal remains will lie in state at BJP headquarters till 1pm.

PM Narendra Modi receives former PM Vajpayee's mortal remains at BJP headquarters. 

#RIPVajpayee -- PM Narendra Modi receives former PM Vajpayee's mortal remains at BJP headquarters. https://t.co/gvUYPAzlru

— News18 (@CNNnews18) August 17, 2018

Senior BJP leaders line up at party headquarters to receive the funeral cortege of former PM Vajpayee, which has just arrived at the office.

Senior leaders and heads of state from neighbouring countries will be arriving in New Delhi later today to pay their final respects to former Prime Minister and BJP stalwart Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who passed away on August 16.

Bhutan's King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk, Nepal's Foreign Affairs Min PK Gyawal, Sri Lanka acting Foreign Min Lakshman Kiriella, Bangladesh Foreign Min Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali & Pak Law Min Ali Zafar will arrive in Delhi today to pay tributes to former PM #AtalBihariVajpayee.

— ANI (@ANI) August 17, 2018

After departing from his personal residence in New Delhi, the cortege carrying Atal Bihari Vajpayee's mortal remains is arriving at BJP Headquarters, where he will be kept in state till his funeral, set to take place later in the day.

Such was Atal Bihari Vajpayee's love for food that it once took a wily plan by his aides to deploy Bollywood star Madhuri Dixit to draw him away from gulab jamun at an official lunch.

Delhi High court and all District courts to function till 1 pm today. Authorities have decided that there will be half-day holiday today to allow officials and staff to attend the funeral of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee at Smriti Sthal.

Delhi High court & all District courts to function till 1 pm today. The competent authority has decided that there will be half-day holiday today to allow officials & staff to attend the funeral of former PM #AtalBihariVajpayee at Smriti Sthal.

— ANI (@ANI) August 17, 2018

Excerpts from PM Modi's blog post on former PM Vajpayee: "Atalji irreversibly changed India’s place in the world. He overcame the hesitation of our nation, the resistance of the world and threat of isolation to make India a nuclear weapons power. It was not a decision he took lightly, but one he knew was of paramount importance in the face of mounting challenges to India’s security. No longer would India’s security be vulnerable. At that moment of surge in national pride, his was a voice of restraint and responsibility. And, the world listened to the wisdom of the man of peace. Equally important, he then brought to bear his extraordinary understanding of world affairs and formidable diplomatic skills to gain global acceptance of new realities. Indeed, it is the combination of his legacies of creating strategic capabilities, promoting stronger economic growth, undertaking multi-directional diplomacy and harnessing of diaspora energies that is today the basis for the respect we command across the world."

As people across the country deal with the loss of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Shyam Sundar Ladrecha, Additional Advocate General of the Rajasthan High Court, recalled an incident from 1991 in which he saw Vajpayee's mental agility and firm resolve. 1991 was the year in which Ladrecha got married. In order to invite future Prime Minister and then Member of Parliament Vajpayee to his wedding, Ladrecha sent a letter. Vajpayee, famous for his quick wit, responded in characteristic style. "Here, too, there is a baarat (wedding procession) that has has to leave. Advani Ji is the groom and he has to be wedded to the government in Delhi," Vajpayee wrote in his letter. He was referring to the swelling support for the BJP under LK Advani's saffron wave.

Crowds are swelling outside the BJP headquarters, where Atal Bihari Vajpayee's mortal remains will be placed in state before the former PM's last rites, later in Delhi today.

#Delhi: Huge crowd gathers at BJP Headquarters where mortal remains of former PM #AtalBihariVajpayee will be brought shortly. pic.twitter.com/tYJnagdUnD

— ANI (@ANI) August 17, 2018

Crowds of people gathered to pay their last respects to former Prime Minister Vajpayee, as his funeral cortege traveled from his personal residence to BJP party headquarters, where his body will lie in state, prior to his funeral which will take place later in the evening.

A poster hung outside the BJP headquarters reads 'Laut Kar Aaunga, Kooch se Kyu Daru' (I will return, so why should I be wary of embarking on the journey) as party officials prepare to receive the mortal remains of their greatest leader.

#RIPVajpayee -- End of an era: A poster hanged outside the BJP headquarters read 'Laut Kar Aaunga, Kooch se Kyu Daru' (I will return, so why should I be wary of embarking on the journey)
Photo credits: @maryashakil

LIVE UPDATES: https://t.co/MoBGMriVKK pic.twitter.com/aGF9oNBAvJ

— News18 (@CNNnews18) August 17, 2018

"Atal ji used to play ludo and chess with us. He was a very down to earth, even after becoming an MP," remembers Kamal Beriwal

Following the death of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, here are some excerpts from his speeches on a range of subjects, from nuclear tests and Kashmir to education and freedom of the press

The funeral cortege of Atal Bihari Vajpayee is leaving his residence, from where the former PM's mortal remains will be placed in state at BJP national headquarters. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already reached the headquarters in order to receive Vajpayee's mortal remains. The cavalcade is escorted by representatives of all armed forces.

Here is a translated excerpt from a blog written by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, following the death of BJP stalwart and former PM Vajpayee: 
"Personally, Atalji was an ideal, a guru, and role model who inspired me deeply. It was he who entrusted me with responsibilities both in Gujarat as well as at the national level. It was he who called me one evening in October 2001 and told me to go to Gujarat as the chief minister. When I told him that I had always worked in the organisation, he said he was confident I would fulfill the people’s expectations. The faith he had in me was humbling. Today, we are a self-assured nation, brimming with the energy of our youth and resolve of our people, eager for change and confident of achieving it, striving for clean and responsive governance, building the future of inclusion and opportunity for all Indians. We engage the world as equals and in peace, and we speak for principles and support the aspirations of others. We are on the path that Atalji wanted us to take. He was ahead of the times, because he had a deep sense of history, and he could peer into the soul of India from his grasp of our civilisational ethos. A life is to be judged not just by the extent of grief that follows when its light goes out. It is also to be measured by the lasting impact on the lives of people and the course of time. For that reason, Atalji was a true Ratna of Bharat. His spirit will continue to guide us as we build the New India of his dreams."

A leader for the ages, he was ahead of the times.

Penned some thoughts on Atal Ji, which have also appeared across various newspapers today. https://t.co/kCaLbf5JE3

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 17, 2018

Prime Minster Narendra Modi has reached BJP headquarters in Delhi, where former PM Vajpayee's mortal remains will remain in state till the afternoon, before his last rights. The funeral is expected to take place at 1pm today afternoon. 

Following the last rites of former PM Vajpayee, authorities plan to construct a memorial for the statesman near Raj Ghat. An MCD official has already made an inspection of the site and following the scrapping of previous guidelines by the former UPA administration, plans for the memorial have been finalised. ​In addition to Mahatma Gandhi’s Samadhi at Raj Ghat, eight former Prime Ministers, two former Presidents and two Deputy PMs have memorials of their own. Jawaharlal Nehru’s memorial is called Shanti Vana (Garden of peace), Indira Gandhi’s is called Shakti Sthal (Place of power), Lal Bahadur Shastri’s is called Vijay Ghat (Victory platform) and that of Chaudhary Charan Singh is called Kisan Ghat (Farmers’ Ghat). The former Presidents who have their own memorials are Giani Zail Singh and Shankar Dayal Sharma, while the two former Deputy PMs who have memorials in New Delhi are Jagjivan Ram and Devi Lal.

RSS supremo Mohan Bhagwat pays his final respects to former Prime Minister and BJP stalwart Atal Bihari Vajpayee at his residence, prior to the statesman's final rites. Vajpayee passed away on August 16, following a final bout of illness. He was 93.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav has paid his last respects to Atal Bihari Vajpayee moments before the cortege leaves for the new BJP headquarters from where the funeral procession will leave for Smriti Sthal at 1pm. Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s cremation is at 4pm.

Morning Wrap | Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and all the three armed forces chiefs have led a host of leaders in paying homage to former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, whose body is lying in state at his residence. Officers from the three armed forces draped the body in the Tricolour on Thursday before enabling leaders and people to pay their last respects at his residence in central Delhi's Krishna Menon Marg. Indian Navy Chief Sunil Lanba, Indian Army Chief Bipin Rawat, Indian Air Force Chief BS Dhanoa were among those who paid homage to the late leader who died at the age of 93 at the AIIMS on Thursday. Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat, famous song writer Javed Akthar and his wife Shabana Azmi also paid homage to Vajpayee.

The Railways has said the Railway Recruitment Board exams scheduled for August 17 for the post of assistant loco pilots and technicians will go ahead as per schedule despite the half-day holiday declared for all central government departments in the wake of Vajpayee's demise. "We are announcing that tomorrow's (August 17) RRB exam will be conducted in all the three shifts as per schedule. This is being done through the RRB websites. Individual SMS-es are also being sent to about 4.36 lakh candidates," Rajesh Bajpai, Director, Information and Publicity, Indian Railways, said. He, however, added that due to the worsening flood situation in Kerala, it was not possible to conduct the exam in the southern state tomorrow.

The central government has declared a half-day holiday today while some states have declared full-day holiday in view of Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s death. A seven-day state mourning has been announced by the Centre and the national flag would fly at half-mast from today for seven days across India. The half holiday stands for all central government offices, central public sector undertakings across the country and the Delhi government offices. The West Bengal government has declared a half-day holiday today. In Goa, all government offices, public sector undertakings, local autonomous bodies and educational institutions will also remain closed. The Karnataka government has declared a holiday on Friday, August 17 for schools, colleges and government offices in all districts except those where officials are involved in rescue and relief operations following heavy rains.

A route is cleared to take former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s body from his 6-A Krishna Menon Marg bungalow to the new Bharatiya Janata Party headquarters at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg. Vajpayee’s funeral procession will begin at 1pm and the cremation will be performed at Smriti Sthal near Rajghat at 4pm. The roads to avoid today are Krishna Menon Marg, Sunehri Bagh Road, Tughlak Road, Akbar Road, Tees January Marg, Man Singh Road, Bhagwan Dass Road, Shahjahan Road and Sikandara Road. DDU Marg, IP Marg, BSZ Marg (from Tilak Bridge to Delhi Gate), JLN Marg (from Rajghat to Delhi Gate) will also be closed.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi has arrived at Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s residence to pay his last respects to the former PM. In his condolence message yesterday, Gandhi had said that India has lost a great son who will be missed. "Today India lost a great son. Former PM, Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji, was loved and respected by millions. My condolences to his family and all his admirers. We will miss him (sic)," he said on Twitter. UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi also paid tributes to Vajpayee at his residence. In her condolence message, Sonia Gandhi described Vajpayee as a "towering figure" who stood for democratic values and demonstrated this commitment in all his acts. Expressing sadness over Vajpayee’s death, the former Congress chief said Vajpayee's warm personality and gift of friendship had won him admirers and friends across the political spectrum and from every walk of life. "I am deeply saddened by the passing away of Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee....His death leaves behind a huge void. I join millions of our fellow Indians in mourning his loss and pray for the departed soul," she said.

Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi shares interesting anecdotes about Atal Bihari Vajpayee. 

I recall many anecdotal interactions with #AtalBihariVajpayee ji. Once,I went to attend a book release event at PM’s residence,a day after ferociously attacking his government as Congress spokesperson,I was deliberately avoiding eye contact in the tea held after the function(1/4)

— Abhishek Singhvi (@DrAMSinghvi) August 17, 2018

From the other end of the lawn, he came up to me with a twinkling eye and said, “Badshahon, agar bahar attack kartey hain, to kam se kam aankh to nahi churaiye.” He then plied me with tea and sweets personally. (2/4)#AtalBihariVajpayee

— Abhishek Singhvi (@DrAMSinghvi) August 17, 2018

Second incident in which I wasnt present but saw photos and videos of,was the remarkable atmosphere when #AtalBihariVajpayee’s poetry was sung by Lata Mangeshkar in drawing room of palatial 9 KPG London,official residence of Indian High Commissioner,which was then my father(3/4)

— Abhishek Singhvi (@DrAMSinghvi) August 17, 2018

A third moment of touching warmth I recall was when a book by #AtalBihariVajpayee jee himself was released with an unusual panel comprising Shivmangal Singh Suman, my father LM Singhvi and Narasimha Rao. (4/4)

— Abhishek Singhvi (@DrAMSinghvi) August 17, 2018

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has condoled former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee's death and praised his vision for famously characterising US-India ties as a "natural partnership of shared endeavours". In a statement issued by the State Department on Thursday, Pompeo extended his heartfelt condolences to the people of India on losing Vajpayee. Recounting the former Prime Minister's many contributions, the US statement said: "He championed tirelessly for his country's development and demonstrated a devotion to improving the lives of every Indian" leading it to become "a global and economic power".

Several roads in Delhi will be closed for the public today in view of Atal Bihari Vajpayee's funeral journey and cremation. Some of the roads that will be closed from 8 am are Krishna Menon Marg, Sunehri Bagh Road, Tughlak Road,Akbar Road,Tees January Marg, Man Singh Road,Bhagwan Dass Road, Shahjahan Road and Sikandara Road. DDU Marg, IP Marg, BSZ Marg (from Tilak Bridge to Delhi Gate), JLN Marg (from Rajghat to Delhi Gate) will also be closed. Commuters have been advised to use Aurobindo Marg, Safdarjung Road, Mother Teresa Crescent, Park Street, Mandir Marg to travel between north and south Delhi. Those travelling between east and west Delhi can use Vikas Marg, Shahdara Bridge and Wazirabad Bridge to reach Ring Road.

According to security officials present here, the gates of the residence would be thrown open at 7.30 am for the public to pay homage to Vajpayee. The mortal remains would later be taken to the Bharatiya Janata Party's national headquarters at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg. The final journey to the Rashtriya Smriti Sthal would begin around 1 pm. Vajpayee died at the AIIMS hospital here yesterday at the age of 93, following a prolonged illness.