Atal Bihari Vajpayee funeral LIVE updates: the former prime minister received the highest civilian award from India, the Bharat Ratna, in March 2015.
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Vajpayee's death is called a "personal loss", Prime Minister Narendra Modi said it marks the end of an era. He said that the BJP patriarch lived for the nation and served it for decades, noting that it was Vajpayee's exemplary leadership that laid the foundations for a strong, prosperous and inclusive India in the 21st century. "The death of Atal Ji is a personal and irreplaceable loss to me. I have countless good memories of him. He was an inspiration to Karyakartas like me. I will remember his sharp intellect and remarkable humor. It was the exemplary leadership of Atal. Ji that laid the foundation for a strong, prosperous and inclusive India in the twenty-first century. "His futuristic policies in various sectors touched the lives of every citizen of India," tweeted modes. He said it was due to Vajpayee's perseverance and struggle that the BJP was built brick by brick.
Vajpayee received the highest civilian award from India, the Bharat Ratna, in March 2015. During his second term as prime minister, Vajpayee commissioned nuclear testing in May 1998 in a strategic master's thrust to undermine Pakistan's nuclear ambitions. He continued this with peace beliefs to Pakistan, driving on the first direct bus from India to Pakistan in February 1999.
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