Leaders recall contributions of Vajpayee at condolence meet

Cutting across party lines, political leaders paid glowing tributes to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at a condolence meeting organised at Indira Gandhi Stadium (IGI) situated in the heart of national Capital on Monday in remembrance of the departed leader.

Speaking at a condolence meeting attended by leaders of all major parties, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the late leader's popularity was so immense that he remained alive in people's memories despite being completely away from the public life for the last 10 years of his life. Remembering the Vajpayee's achievements as the Prime Minister, Modi said that in a huge diplomatic victory, Vajpayee managed to turn around the international narrative on Kashmir — on which India used to be defensive till then — and bring the focus on terrorism.

Former Deputy Prime Minister and a close friend of Vajpayee, L K Advani remembering his long association with former PM and said during the over 65 years of friendship, Vajpayee and he would often stay together, watch movies together and would read books together.

"I had never imagined that someday I would have to address a gathering like this, a gathering where Atalji is not amongst us," an emotional Advani said. He also recalled how bad he felt when Vajpayee did not turn up at the launch of his autobiography in 2008.

"He did not become popular because he was the PM. I think he would have been as popular as he was after being the PM, had he worked in any social or political sector," said Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

"Atal ji had a multifaceted personality. Besides being an 'ajatshatru' he was a great poet, journalist & politician who never let the party deviate from the path of its ideology," said BJP President Amit Shah.

Paying rich tributes to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha and senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad  said Vajpayee had brought together leaders cutting across ideological divides even in his death which, he added, was something rare.

Remembering Vajpayee Derek O Brien from Trinamool Congress (TMC) said " If you look for definition of certain words, you have to look in the dictionary. But there's one word you don't need to look in dictionary...if you look at his face you will get the meaning of the word secular"

"Agar Atal ko yaad rakhna hai to uss desh ko banao jismein prem itna ho ki dunia jhukne aa jaaye iss desh ke saamne ki ye desh hai jo prem baant'ta hai. Wo prem baantiye, wahi hamari sabse badi shradhhanajli hogi Atalji ko. Wo Wazire-e-Azam nahi Hindustan ke dilon ke maalik they. He was large-hearted. No one had a heart like him," said Former J&K CM Farooq Abdullah while remembering Vajpayee.

Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal said that Atal ji ruled everyone's heart like an emperor. "He might have been away from politics for long but he ruled people's hearts. Mein uss shehenshah ko naman karti hoon," she said."This was Vajpayee ji who went to Pakistan and made Musharraf sahab say that they will not use the land of Jammu and Kashmir for militancy," Former J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti.

 "As long as he was alive he made Bharat Mata proud and he has set such an example that he will be remembered for the ages to come," said Yoga guru Ramdev.

"Atal ji's words and his life...be it someone who watched him closely or saw him from far away, everyone found him to be the same & believed in him," said RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat.

"Neta mein jo sabse bada hota hai wo dil hota hai, dil bada hota hai to dal bhi bada ho jata hai. Rashtra hit sabse upar,party hit uske baad,vyakti hit sabse neeche. He always made nation's interest his topmost priority," Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan.

"Although he was poetic and generous at heart, he took strong decisions like nuclear test & Kargil war for nation. He was loved and respected by ruling party as well as opposition. We need to follow his principles to spread peace and harmony," said S Mishra, BSP

"He led an absolutely unblemished life. He had a unique style. He never worried about food, lifestyle or any other thing. I pay my tributes to such a man full of love and humanity," said  Sharad Yadav, of the Loktantrik Janata Dal party.

"We mourn the loss of a great nationalist, a poet, a statesman, a veteran parliamentarian for decades and above all , a gentleman to the core, the former Prime Minister of India, Bharat Ratna, Atal Bihari Vajpayee," saids M Thambi Durai, AIADMK.