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India’s three-time prime minister Vajpayee dead at 93
NEW DELHI, Aug 16, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Three-time Indian prime minister Atal
Bihari Vajpayee has died, current leader Narendra Modi said Thursday of the
ailing 93-year-old who had been hospitalised.
“Atal Ji’s passing away is a personal and irreplaceable loss for me,” Modi
said in a tweet Thursday, using a Hindi-language honorific.
“It was Atal Ji’s exemplary leadership that set the foundations for a
strong, prosperous and inclusive India in the 21st century.”
Vajpayee had battled poor health for years but his condition deteriorated
sharply in recent days.
The former premier was being treated at the All India Institute of Medical
Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi, where he was admitted nine weeks ago with health
complications.
“Unfortunately, his condition deteriorated over the last 36 hours and he
was put on life support systems. Despite the best efforts, we have lost him
today,” AIIMS said in a statement.
“We join the nation in deeply mourning this great loss.”
His waning health sparked a flurry of visits from top dignitaries Thursday,
including Modi and senior cabinet ministers.
Vajpayee, a former journalist and poet-turned-politician, was credited with
helping lay the foundations for the meteoric rise of the Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP), the right-wing political powerhouse that rules India today.
BSS/AFP/RY/1850 hrs