New Delhi: Former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee passed away on Thursday, August 16, at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi. The BJP stalwart was 93. Vajpayee had been undergoing treatment at the premier institute where he had been admitted since June 11 with a kidney tract infection, urinary tract infection, low urine output and chest congestion.
Last night, Vajpayee’s condition had worsened. “Unfortunately, his condition deteriorated over the last 36 hours and he was put on life support systems. Despite the best of efforts, we lost him today,” AIIMS said in a press release.
A founding member of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, a precursor of the BJP, Vajpayee was the first non-Congress leader to complete a five-year term (1999-2004) as prime minister.
अटल जी आज हमारे बीच में नहीं रहे, लेकिन उनकी प्रेरणा, उनका मार्गदर्शन, हर भारतीय को, हर भाजपा कार्यकर्ता को हमेशा मिलता रहेगा। ईश्वर उनकी आत्मा को शांति प्रदान करे और उनके हर स्नेही को ये दुःख सहन करने की शक्ति दे। ओम शांति !
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 16, 2018
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah, party veteran L.K. Advani, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and several Union ministers and chief ministers paid a visit to Vajpayee today.