Vajpayee is being conferred country's highest civilian award Bharat Ratna today by President Pranab Mukherjee.
"This a proud moment for the country and all of us. He a stalwart leader of the country. He is a leader of par excellence who has worked tirelessly in the interest of the nation," Jaitley said here.
"In this country, I think there would be very few people like him who are good orator, political leader, thinker and poet. We pray for his good health and long life," he added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and other senior Cabinet ministers will be present on the occasion.
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