'Former PM was poet who took hard decisions'

Mumbai: Paying tribute to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at a condolence meeting held in Mantralaya Trimurti Bhavan on Friday, state finance minister Sudhir Mungantiwar said the people of India would always remember Mr Vajpayee’s contribution in “nation building”. CM Devendra Fadnavis attended the funeral in New Delhi.

The condolence meeting organised by the state government saw rich tributes paid to the departed leader by ministers Diwakar Raote, Ravindra Waikar, Deepak Kesarkar as well as ambassadors of many countries.

Also present on the occasion was chief secretary D. K. Jain, senior government officers as well as senior officers belonging to the Air Force, Army and Navy.

Mr Mungantiwar said that, “Mr Vajpayee was a poet and very sensitive. But he had taken some very hard decisions in the interests of the country. He always thought about the nation and worked for the development of the country.”

Mr Vajpayee was cremated with full state honours in New Delhi.  He passed away at AIIMS on Thursday after battling a prolonged illness.