 "Aligarh Mayor gaffe: Vajpayee no longer with us but memories remain")
In a case of foot-in-the-mouth, Bharatiya Janata Party's Aligarh mayor Shakuntala Bharti referred to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee as "deceased".'
The remarks came while she was delivering speech on the the eve of Vajpayee's birthday celebrations.
"Bharat ke purv Pradhan Mantri Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji hamare beech me nahin rahe, lekin unki yadein hai. (Former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee is no longer with us, but his memories remain)," she had said while addressing students at Dharam Jyoti Mahavidyalya School at Iglas in Aligarh.
The incident took place during an event organised to celebrate the 155th birth anniversary of Madan Mohan Malviya and Vajpayee's 92nd birthday.
The Aligarh mayor later accepted her mistake and apologised for it.
On Vajpayee's birthday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited veteran BJP leader and wished him good health and long life.
"Wishing our most beloved & widely respected Atal ji a happy birthday. I pray that he is blessed with good health and a long life.
"Atal ji's exemplary service & leadership has had a very positive impact on India's growth trajectory. His great personality is endearing," the Prime Minister tweeted.
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