Mamata Banerjee makes a reference to Kashmir in her tribute to Vajpayee

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during 73rd Independence Day celebrations at Red Road in Kolkata. Pic/PTI

Kolkata: On the occasion of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his first death anniversary, Mamata Banerjee on Friday paid tribute to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief had served as the railway minister in Vajpayee-led cabinet.

In a tweet, Banerjee urged people to bear in mind his principles of 'insaniyat (humanism), jamhooriyat (democracy) and kashmiriyat (inclusive Kashmiri culture)'. "Tribute to Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji, former Prime Minister, on his first death anniversary. Let us recall his words, 'The gun can solve no problems. Issues can be guided by the three principles of insaniyat, jamhooriyat and kashmiriyat'," Banerjee tweeted.

The former prime minister had based his Kashmir policy on these three principles. Earlier in the day a Shradhanjali and Sarva Dharma Prarthana Sabha was held on Friday morning at Vajpayee's memorial, Sadaiv Atal, in New Delhi. President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and several other BJP leaders paid their tributes to the former Prime Minister.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee, one of the founding members of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS), died on this day in 2018 at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) after a prolonged illness.

Also Read: VP Naidu remembers 'role model, beloved leader' Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Edited by mid-day online desk with inputs from Agencies

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