Himachal people will miss Vajpayee: Thakur

Shimla : Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Thursday said the state's people will miss former Prime Minister A. B. Vajpayee who had a special bond with the hill state.

Vajpayee, 93, breathed his last in New Delhi at the age of 93.

In a condolence message here, Thakur said Vajpayee was a statesman and a visionary leader whose demise is a great loss to the nation.

He said that Vajpayee always considered Himachal Pradesh his second home and owned a house at Prini in Kullu district.

Thakur said the state's people will always miss the benevolence and special attachment Vajpayee had with Himachal.

The Chief Minister said that construction of the Rohtang tunnel to connect landlocked Lahaul Valley to the outside world was conceived in 1998 by Vajpayee who announced the project on June 3, 2000.

He said that this project was now nearing completion and will be Vajpayee's biggest gift to the state.

Earlier, Thakur visited AIIMS in Delhi along with Governor Acharya Devvrat to enquire about Vajpayee's health.