'I found Vajpayee-ji an extremely considerate and well-read person'

Over the years, I did many trips as part of the SPG with Vajpayee-ji; I found him to be an extremely considerate and a well-read person, says

I did several trips with Atal Bihari Vajpayee in India and overseas, when I was part of the Special Protection Group, including one to Pakistan in 1999. The Opposition was dead against the trip, and there had been violent protests there. Windows of the diplomatic cars, which had gone to the area, were smashed during heavy stone-pelting. We saw this and reported it to our director, who informed Pakistan and our PM, that the route was not safe to travel.

We demanded that our Pakistan counterparts clear the route. They, however, did not believe us, saying there was nothing of this sort, and that their PM was waiting only because the Indian PM had not moved. Finally, they checked the route and found that our concerns were correct. They then cleared the route.

Over the years, I did many trips as part of the SPG with Vajpayee-ji; I found him to be an extremely considerate and a well-read person. Though he did not talk much, he was kind. Both he and his family looked after the SPG staff very well.

(Retired IPS officer Sanjeev Dayal was in the SPG from 1995 to 2002 and did several trips with the late leader)

Tributes
Ram Nath Kovind,
President
'Atalji, the gentle giant, will be missed by one and all'

Narendra Modi,
Prime Minister
'Atal Ji's passing away is a personal and irreplaceable loss for me. I have countless fond memories with him. He was an inspiration to Karyakartas like me. I will remember his sharp intellect and wit'

M Venkaiah Naidu,
Vice President
'He will be remembered for ushering in the connectivity revolution in the country. His personality, oratory and devotion to duty will be remembered for a long time to come'

L K Advani,
Senior BJP leader
'Atalji will be remembered as the pioneer of the first ever stable non-Congress coalition government at the Centre and I had the privilege of working as his deputy for six years'

Rahul Gandhi,
Congress president
'Today India lost a great son. Former PM, Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji, was loved and respected by millions. My condolences to his family and all his admirers'

P Chidambaram,
Senior Congress leader
'Vajpayee ji was a man of great wisdom, tolerance and compassion. He led his party to its first victory in national elections and established the credentials of the BJP to run the central government'

Manohar Parrikar,
Goa chief minister
'Deeply pained by the passing away of our beloved Atalji. India has lost a great leader, a leader of masses and a visionary who dedicated his entire life in service of the nation and its people'

Manmohan Singh,
former prime minister
'Atal Bihari Vajpayee was a great patriot and among modern India's tallest leaders who spent his whole life serving the country'

Pranab Mukherjee,
former president
'A reasoned critique in opposition and a seeker of consensus as PM, Atal Ji was a democrat to the core. In his passing away, India has lost a great son and an era has come to an end'

Rajnath Singh,
Home Minister
'Atalji was a true 'Ajatshatru' (man with no enemies) who had many friends across the political spectrum. He believed in political consensus and his beliefs had consequential effect on Indian politics'

Ratan N Tata,
chairman, Tata Trusts
'All of us who knew Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee are saddened to hear of his passing away. He was a great leader with a great sense of compassion and humour. He will be remembered fondly by a vast number of us'

sonia gandhi,
Senior Congress leader
'I'm deeply saddened by the passing away of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He was a towering figure in our national life. Throughout his life, he stood for democratic values and demonstrated this commitment in all his acts'

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