Bollywood mourns demise of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Vajpayee, a three-time Prime Minister of India, a Bharat Ratna and a stalwart of Indian politics who represented the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), passed away at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi on Thursday.  He was 93. 

He was admitted to the hospital on June 11 with a kidney tract infection, urinary tract infection, low urine output and chest congestion.

He breathed last at 5: 05 pm on Thursday.  

Amitabh Bachchan tweeted, "Thoughtful farewell. He was a great leader. A prominent poet. A great orator.....An admirer of my Father's works and vice versa ; gentle nature, strong fiery in his speeches"

Shatrughan Sinha, who is also a BJP parliamentarian, tweeted, "End of an Era..What an excellent human being! One of the greatest Parliamentarians, an exemplary orator & exceptional thrice PM of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee is no more! An intellectual par excellence, man with tremendous wisdom, a fantastic sense of humour & kind hearted poet. "

In a follow up tweet, Sinha said: "As this most revered & respected institution leaves us, a real Father figure has gone. I feel orphaned in the true sense...We shall always remember you & miss your guidance on the correct path of life. I humbly offer my prayers & heartfelt condolenses to the family & loved ones."

In a statement on Twitter, Shah Rukh Khan recounted his memories with Vajpayee when the two discussed poetry, films, poetry and ther "ailing knees".

Khan also said: "Today the country has lost a Father Figure and a great leader. Personally I have lost a part of my childhood and growing up memories of learning smiling and of course poetry. I consider myself luckiest to have had his influence on my life during my formative years."

Remembering Vajpayee, Hrithik Roshan tweeted, "Met Atalji a few times in my life. Each time was special. I remember him as an extremely kind hearted man. May his soul rest in peace."

Anil Kapoor tweeted, "Today, our country lost a visionary leader & I lost one of my childhood idols...The passing of #AtalBihariVajpayeeji is even more saddening in light of all that he inspired & accomplished in his time with us. My deepest respect & condolences to his family..."

Priyanka Chopra said in a tweet, "Former Prime Minister Shri #AtalBihariVajpayee's visionary ideas and contributions for India were truly remarkable. The nation will always remember... #RIP My thoughts and condolences to the family."

Saying he will miss the former Prime Minister, John Abraham tweeted, "For me he was one of India’s greatest leaders loved and respected by all. He will be missed. RIP"

Vajpayee, whose first term as the Prime Minister lasted only 13 days in 1996, returned to the top position in 1998 to lead the nation till 2004.

A bachelor all his life, he was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour, in 2015.

Vajpayee was elected to the Lok Sabha (lower house) ten times and twice to the Rajya Sabha (upper house).

He represented the Lucknow parliamentary seat in Uttar Pradesh until 2009 when he retired from active politics.   

Vajpayee will be cremated at New Delhi's Rashtriya Smriti Sthal at 4 pm.