The death of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee is a huge loss and his departure has left a void that would be "impossible to fill", his family members said today.
The death of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee is a huge loss and his departure has left a void that would be "impossible to fill", his family members said today.
He passed away at AIIMS here this evening at the age of 93 due to prolonged illness.
Vajpayee, a bachelor, is survived by his adopted daughter Namita Kaul Bhattacharya.
A state funeral would be accorded to him and a half day holiday would be observed in all central government offices tomorrow.
"It is a very big loss for us and his death has left a void that would be impossible to fill," said Anoop Mishra, nephew of Vajpayee.
The body of the BJP veteran has been kept at his official residence - 6 A Krishna Menon Marg.
BJP president Amit Shah said people can pay homage to the departed leader at his residence from 7.30 am to 8.30 am tomorrow.
The body would then be taken to the BJP headquarters at the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg at around 9 am, he told reporters.
The funeral procession would leave the BJP headquarters at 1 pm and the last rites would be performed at 4 pm, he said.
Local BJP leader Poonam Vajpayee, who is married to Vajpayee's nephew Surendra Kumar Vajpayee, said the former PM's death is a great loss to the nation.
"This is a moment of grief for the entire family as well as our nation. We feel that our family has lost its guardian. However, it is also true that Vajpayeeji will always remain alive into the minds of people through his work, poetry and memories," she said.
Poonam said personalities like Vajpayee never die.
"I had last met Vajpayee in 2006. He was my husband's uncle. My son is already in Delhi and my husband is about to leave for Delhi to attend last rites of Vajpayee," she said.
Surendra Kumar Vajpayee's sister Binaben shared some memories of Vajpayee.
"Vajpayeeji was my uncle. We all belong to the same family. Such was his influence on us that we started living a simple life. He was very jovial and always met us with warmth," Binaben recalled.
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