Aggrieved Advani bids farewell to ‘closest friend of 65 years’ Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Agencies

August 17, 2018

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

The mortal remains of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee reached the BJP headquarters earlier this morning on a decorated gun carriage.

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

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

Advani further said that the former Prime Minister guided him throughout his life adding, "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."

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

The senior BJP leader said, "His captivating leadership qualities, mesmerising oratory, soaring patriotism and above all, his sterling humane qualities like compassion, humility and his remarkable ability to win over adversaries despite ideological differences have all had a profound effect on me in all my years in public life. I will miss Atalji immensely."

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

Mangaluru’s public transport revolution: 100 new govt electric buses to end private ‘trip-cutting’

News Network

December 19,2025

Mangaluru: Public transport in Mangaluru is set for a state-led transformation as the government moves to deploy 100 new electric govt buses to replace unreliable private services. The initiative aims to provide a dependable alternative to private operators who have been frequently "cutting trips," leaving thousands of commuters stranded.

The announcement was made by Deputy Commissioner and MCC Administrator Darshan HV during a public phone-in session. The move specifically targets routes where private bus service has become erratic, ensuring that citizens no longer have to rely on a fluctuating private sector for their daily commute.

Restoring the Govt Presence

The transport crisis was brought to the forefront by Ramayya, a resident of Bajal, who highlighted a growing trend of private buses skipping morning and night trips. With the previous KSRTC (govt) services discontinued, residents have been left without a fallback option.

To fix this, the DC confirmed that the PM-eBus Sewa Scheme will bring 100 government-owned electric buses to the city:

• Phased Deployment: The first 50 of the new 100 government buses are scheduled to arrive by March 2026.

• State Infrastructure: Two new government depots, including one at Mudipu, are being prepared for operations.

• Recruitment: The state has already begun training a new batch of government bus drivers to ensure the fleet is operational the moment it arrives.

Comments