Tripura govt declares holiday today for death of Vajpayee

The Tripura government has declared a holiday today as a mark of respect to the former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee who died in New Delhi yesterday.

A notification, issued here last night, said all government offices and educational institutes and banks run by the state government would remain closed today.

The state government also declared state mourning for seven days with effect from yesterday. Throughout the mourning period the national flag will fly at half mast, it said.

Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb flew to New Delhi and paid floral tribute to the late leader yesterday.

In a message Deb said, "we lost a great statesman of the country. His demise is an irreparable loss to the country."