Advani says goodbye to 'closest friend' Atal Bihari Vajpayee

New Delhi, Aug 17 Veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Lal Krishna Advani paid his last tribute to "closest friend for more than 65 years" Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Friday at BJP headquarters at Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg.

The mortal stays of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee achieved the BJP headquarters prior this morning of today on an enhanced gun carriage.

Along the seven-kilometer stretch from Vajpayee's reisdence at Krishna Menon Marg to the BJP office, people in expansive number joined the parade to get a last look at their leader.

Expressing his grief over the incident, Advani yesterday shared, "To me, Atalji was more than a senior colleague indeed, he was my closest friend for more than 65 years."

Advani further said that the former Prime Minister guided him throughout his life including, "Atalji will be recognised as the pioneer of the primary ever stable non-Congress coalition government at the Centre and I had the benefit of working in as his deputy for a six years."

Recollecting his old days as 'Rashtriya Swayamevak Sangh (RSS) pracharak', Advani said that his relationship with Vajpayee has seen days from the birth of BJP to 'dark months of Emergency' prompting ' the development of Janata Party and later the emergence of the Bharatiya Janata Party in 1980.'

The senior BJP leader stated, "His captivating leadership qualities, entrancing speech, taking off patriotism or more all, his his sterling humane qualities like sympathy, modesty and his striking capacity to prevail upon foes in spite of ideological contrasts have all profoundly affected me in the entirety of my years in all my years in public life. I will miss Atalji immensely."