POLITICS LOSES ITS POETRY
FEW HAVE COME CLOSE TO ACCOMPLISHING HER CULTURAL LONGEVITY, IMPACT
POET, POLITICIAN Former prime minister, the gentle face of Hindu nationalism, dies at 93 after prolonged illness; State funeral, sevenday national mourning announced NEW DELHI: 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 sectors touched the lives of each and every citizen of India
India’s former Prime Minister and one of the country’s most-loved and respected leaders, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, died on Wednesday night, uniting an otherwise deeply divided political class together in grief.
Vajpayee, three-time PM, twelve-time parliamentarian, former president of both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its earlier avatar, the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, and a popular mass leader who brought both respectability and power to the BJP for the first time, passed away at the All India Institute for Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at the age of 93.
“It is with profound grief that we inform about the sad demise of former Prime Minister of India Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee at 5.05 pm,” Aarti Vij, who heads the media and protocol division of AIIMS, said in a statement.
“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. We join the nation in deeply mourning this great loss,” Vij added.
A galaxy of political dignitaries including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah, L.K. Advani, an associate of Vajayee’s for seven decades, Congress president Rahul Gandhi, leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, visited AIIIMS through the death before the announcement was made.
The government announced seven-day state mourning as a mark of respect,while Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said state government offices, schools and institutions will remain closed on Friday.
The Union home ministry also said national flag would be flown at half mast from today for seven days across India and a state funeral would be accorded to Vajpayee.
Vajpayee’s overall health had deteriorated after he suffered a stroke in 2009. He was admitted to AIIMS on June 11 with infection of the kidney and urinary tracts, low urine output and chest congestion. On Wednesday. AIIMS said his condition had worsened over the past 24 years.
Vajpayee’s death sparked mourning across the political spectrum, with everyone from Advani to Prime Minister Modi and Congress president Gandhi expressing their sadness.
“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,” Modi said in a Twitter post.