Atal Bihari Vajpayee was a secular leader: Mamata Banerjee
New Delhi, Aug 16 (IBNS): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday reached Delhi to pay her tributes to former Prime Minister of India Atal Bihar Vajpayee, who breathed his last on Thursday evening bringing end to an era of Indian politics.
Speaking to media after paying floral tribute at Vajpayee's Delhi residence, Banerjee, who was the Union Minister in Vajpayee-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, said: "Atalji was a person who worked with everyone. He was a secular man."
"He used to listen to us always," she added.
Earlier calling the former Prime Minister as a "statesmen", Banerjee tweeted,
Very very saddened that the great statesman and former PM Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji is no more with us. His passing away is a very big loss to our nation. I will always cherish the many fond memories. Condolences to his family and his many admirers
— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) August 16, 2018
As a mark of respect for the former PM, Banerjee declared a half day holiday in the state of West Bengal on Friday.
Atal Bihari 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 passed away at 5:05 pm.
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