Thousands of mourners are paying tribute to one of India’s most prolific leader, Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The 93-year old former prime minister died last night after battling a long illness.
The government has declared a seven-day mourning period for the poet-turned-politician.
Vajpayee’s body has been transferred to his Delhi residence for a full state funeral on Friday.
Managing Editor at Citizen News Service and poet Shobha Shukla says India has lost one of its most influential leaders.
“The word Atal in Hindi means steadfast, unwavering and consistent and Atal Bihari Vajpayee was all of these three. He came out a very soft spoken politician, poet, statesman and above all – a gentleman. During his tenure in office, one of the greatest achievements in his government was to announce for the free roll-out of anti-retroviral treatment for people living with HIV.”
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