Telangana CM mourns death

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, former Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya and Congress' Telangana president N Uttam Kumar Reddy today mourned the death of former Prime Minister A B Vajpayee.

Vajpayee upheld lofty values in his political life and stood as a role model not just in the country but to the entire world, Rao said.

The chief minister hailed Vajpayee as an outstanding parliamentarian and his virtues of being a great humanist.

Dattatreya said he entered politics after being appreciated by Vajpayee for his work as a RSS volunteer in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh following the devastating Diviseema tidal wave and cyclone in 1977.

Dattatreya, who had served in the cabinet headed by Vajpayee, said the departed leader gave lot of respect to his colleagues.

Vajpayee used to take on board the views of his colleagues, whether it was a cabinet rank minister or a minister of state, Dattatreya said.

Vajpayee was able to successfully run a coalition of parties with divergent views because of his broad-mindedness, Dattatreya, now a BJP MP, said.

"It is sad that Vajpayee, who introduced BJP to every individual either in a village or town, is not able to witness how the party has become highly successful," he said.

Vajpayee was liked and respected cutting across party lines and the Pokhran nuclear test, victory in Kargil war and the golden Quadrilateral road project were some of his great successes as prime minister, BJPs Telangana unit president K Laxman said.

Laxman announced postponement of various party programmes and urged cadres to organise events in Vajpayees memory.

Several leaders of Telangana unit would go to Delhi tonight to pay their last respects, he said.

The party leaders and workers observed silence for a few minutes as a mark of respect to the departed leader at the state unit office here.

Hailing Vajpayee as a role model for political leaders of the present generation, Congress' Telangana chief Uttam Kumar Reddy said his death was a great loss to the country.

Telugu actor-turned-politician and Jana Sena Party founder Pawan Kalyan also condoled the death.