Vajpayee was 'quintessential gentleman', a product of democracy: Jaitley

Union Minister Arun Jaitley today remembered former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee as a "quintessential gentleman" who accepted criticism and valued consensus as he was a "product" of parliamentary democracy.

Vajpayee, 93, passed away at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here last evening after a prolonged illness.

Jaitley, who was a minister in the Vajpayee government, said: "Atalji's demise is referred to by many as end of an era. I, however, consider it as a continuation of the era of which he was one who laid the foundation."