Telengana declares holiday as mark of respect to Vajpayee

Hyderabad: As a mark of respect to the former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the Telangana government declared a holiday for government offices and educational institutions on Friday.

State governor ESL Narasimhan and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao paid rich tributes to the departed leader, describing his death a great loss for the nation.

In Vajpayee’s demise, the nation had lost a great leader, administrator and a wonderful human being, governor Narasimhan said while conveying his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family.

Chief Minister Rao said Vajpayee was a great parliamentarian who led politics with the highest standards and stood tall as a role model for the country and the world. “He was a liberalist, humanist, poet, orator and man of simplicity. He stood for what he believed in, his entire life”, KCR said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the Moulana Azad National Urdu University in Hyderabad also remembered the former leader and recalled his vital role in the university’s formation and development.

At a condolence meeting chaired by the vice chancellor Mohammad Aslam Parvaiz, university students and staff observed two minutes silence as a mark of respect for Vajpayee.

“He was a fine human being, a great statesman, and a admirer of the Urdu language. His passing away is a great loss both for Urdu University and the Urdu language”, the vice chancellor said.