Vajpayee's demise: India lost 'eminent national leader', says Dalai Lama
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has extended his condolences over the sad demise of India's former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee and said the country has lost an "eminent national leader". "I feel privileged to have known him and am honored to have counted him as a friend," Dalai Lama said in a letter he wrote to the Atal ji's foster daughter Namita Bhattacharya.
Dalai Lama hails Atal ji's eloquent support to Tibetan people
"We met regularly during the course of his career... I continued to visit him after he retired. With his passing away, India has lost an eminent national leader," Dalai Lama said. "His eloquent support of the Tibetan people began in the late-1950s. Since then, he regularly took Indian governments to task in Parliament, prompting them to take a stronger stand on Tibet," he added.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee died on August 16
Dalai Lama also offered his condolences to Vajpayee's relatives, friends, and colleagues. Vajpayee, who served as India's Prime Minister three times, died at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) hospital in Delhi following a prolonged illness. He was 93. The BJP veteran was admitted to AIIMS on June 11 with a kidney tract infection, urinary tract infection, low urine output, and chest congestion.
