Feel 'orphaned' by demise of Vajpayee: Shatrughan Sinha

BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha today said that he felt like an "orphan" after hearing the death news of former prime minister Atal Bihar Vajpayee, under whose guardianship he had learnt the "art of good politics".

The BJP MP from Patna Sahib described Vajpayee as a "father-figure".

Vajpayee passed away at AIIMS hospital in Delhi last evening at the age of 93 following prolonged illness.

Sinha had served in the cabinet of Vajpayee during the NDA government rule between 1999 and 2004.

"As this most revered & respected institution leaves us, a real Father figure has gone. I feel orphaned in the true sense...We shall always remember you & miss your guidance on the correct path of life. I humbly offer my prayers & heartfelt condolences to the family & loved ones," he said in a tweet.

Talking to PTI over phone from Mumbai, Sinha today shared his fond memories with the visionary leader.

"Nanaji Deshmukh had sent me to Vajpayee ji and Advani ji for training in politics. Both of them showered their love and blessings on me all my life," the actor-politician said. Sinha, who joined Vajpayee on the historic bus journey to Lahore in 1999, said he had traits of a great leader.

"He was a 'yug purush' in the true sense of the term," he added.

The BJP leader also remembered sharing dais with the former prime minister at an election rally at Lucknow in 2004 - the last election Vajpayee had fought.

"Atal ji had called me specially to campaign for him at Lucknow on the last day. It was a tense moment when he handed over the microphone to me. At the end of the rally, he patted my back. Getting appreciation from a man, who himself was an extraordinary orator, was a touching gesture," he said.

His passing away has created a void not just in the BJP but the entire political spectrum, Sinha added.