Former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee passes away at 93; India mourns its loss

New Delhi's AIIMS had issued a statement on Wednesday informing that the condition of the 93-year- old leader was critical and that he had been kept on life support

Current Affairs News: Former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who had been admitted to New Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) since June 11 with a kidney tract infection, urinary tract infection, low urine output and chest congestion, passed away on Thursday. He was 93 years old.

Since Wednesday evening, leaders of the Bharatiya Janata party (BJP), as well as those from other parties, had been visiting the hospital to enquire about the health of the former prime minister. This was after AIIMS issued a statement saying the condition of the 93-year-old leader was critical and informing that he had been kept on life support.

While prime minister Narendra Modi visited AIIMS on Wednesday evening as well as today morning, Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP President Amit Shah, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Health Minister J P Nadda and former Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah were among those who paid a visit on today morning.

A diabetic, Vajpayee had only one functional kidney. He had in 2009 suffered a stroke, which had weakened his cognitive abilities. Subsequently, he had developed dementia.

A poet-politician, Vajpayee was born on December 25, 1924, and was among the founding members of the Bhartiya Janata Party. He had had three terms as the prime minister of the country, with his first term lasting only 13 days in 1996. His second stint lasted 13 months between 1998 and 1999, when he lost the confidence motion by just one vote. He again returned to power for a third time in 1999 and remained in office till 2004.

Vajpayee is credited with the successful nuclear tests at Pokhran, Rajasthan, in May 1998, within two months of coming to power. The tests were called Pokhran-2.

Vajpayee is remembered for his impeccable oratory skills and his efforts to build better relations with neighbour Pakistan through initiatives like the Agra summit and the Lahore summit, and starting a bus service between Lahore and New Delhi.

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