Chief Ministers pay rich tribute

New Delhi (India), Aug 16 (ANI): Chief Ministers of all the states across the country paid tribute to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee who breathed his last at the age of 93 on Thursday after a prolonged illness.

Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar expressed his deep pain over Vajpayee's death. "Deeply pained by the passing away of our beloved Atal Ji. India has lost a great leader, a leader of masses and a visionary who dedicated his entire life in service of the nation and its people," Parrikar tweeted.

Terming him as a "great statesman", West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said, "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."

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal condoled Vajpayee's demise, saying his demise was a "great loss" for the country. "Am deeply saddened. A great loss for India," Kejriwal tweeted.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan mourned the former prime minister's death. Emphasising on Vajpayee's contributions to the nation, Chouhan tweeted, "We have lost a father figure who always gave us the courage to take on the challenges and showed new path."

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu hailed Vajpayee as "one of the greatest visionaries the nation has seen."

"On this unfortunate day, we have lost one of the greatest visionaries the nation has seen. The beloved former Prime Minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji will continue to inspire us and the generations to come. May he rest in peace," Chandrababu Naidu tweeted.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also paid a moving tribute, saying, "The nation's interest was paramount to Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ji. He was a visionary of an independent developed India who gave preference to values and ideals in Indian politics. In India's democratic history, it is difficult to find a great personality like Atal Ji." (ANI)

This story has not been edited. It has been published as provided by ANI