One of India's greatest statesmen and former Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee is no more. The veteran politician breathed his last in Delhi today; he was 93-years-old. With the sad demise of Vajpayee ji, as everyone used to call him out of deep respect, an era has passed in Indian politics. 

Atal Bihari Vajpayee will be remembered as a seasoned politician who has seen the rise and fall of opposition when Congress ruled the nation for long. He was one of the founders of Bharatiya Jana Sangh, which later formed the Janata Party – a union of different Indian political parties. With the split of Janata Party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) formed in 1980 and Vajpayee became the first President of the party. 

Vajpayee ji led the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for long, and from a mere two seats in the Parliament, he continues his strong criticism of the Congress government and finally became the Prime Minister of India in 1996, although only for 13 days. 

He later got another opportunity under the banner of National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and served the nation at the top post for a period of eleven months from 1998 – 1999. During this tenure, India conducted five underground nuclear tests in the Pokhran desert region of Rajasthan. The secretive mission (11–13 May 1998) is known as Pokhran II. 

This was also the time, when Vajpayee ji's government had to face and emerge victorious in the Kargil War with Pakistan. This was indeed another tough time for the BJP-led government, as it was only reduced to be a caretaker government, after the withdrawal of support from Jayalalitha's AIADMK. 

The BJP-led NDA, under the leadership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, soon came to power as they win as many as 299 seats of the 543 in Lok Sabha in the October 1999 General Elections. The government under the decisive leadership of Vajpayee ji continued the effort of his previous govt. and the economic liberalization initiated back in 1991.

He also worked towards a lot in improving the infrastructure of the country by launching several initiatives, including the National Highways Development Project (NHDP) and the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana. His tenure came to an end in 2004, as Congress emerged as the largest party in a hung Lok Sabha. 

Nevertheless, Atal Bihari Vajpayee is the first non-Congress prime minister of the country who completed a full five-year term. His government had done a lot in keeping the emerging Indian economy safe and sound, despite several internal and external crisis – including oil crisis, 9/11, Kargil War and several natural calamities.

His statesmanship is beyond question, as leaders from all other political parties consider him as the man who genuinely served the people of this great nation. Messages of condolences are pouring from almost everyone. 

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in his message says:"India grieves the demise of our beloved Atal ji. His passing away marks the end of an era. He lived for the nation and served it assiduously for decades. My thoughts are with his family, BJP Karyakartas and millions of admirers in this hour of sadness. Om Shanti."

President, Indian National Congress and Member of Parliament Rahul Gandhi tweets:
"Today India lost a great son. Former PM, Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji, was loved and respected by millions. My condolences to his family & all his admirers. We will miss him."

Former President of India Pranab Mukherjee says: "No doubt that the country will be poorer in the loss of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who was like a colossus for almost six decades. I pay my deepest regards for this great son of India."

We at News Desk India pray for the great soul, who served our beloved nation, rising above the party lines and leaving behind his great political legacy. Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji will be fondly remembered by most of Indians.

--Deepak Kumar