NEW DELHI: BJP leader and Union minister Arun Jaitley , mourning the loss of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, on Friday, said, "Atalji’s demise is referred to by many as end of an era. I, however, consider it as a continuation of the era of which he was one who laid the foundation."

The former PM passed away on Thursday evening after prolonged illness.

In a blog post 'Atalji, the Quintessential Gentleman - How he made a difference?', Jaitley remembered Vajpayee as a "quintessential gentleman", and said that essential aspect of the former PM's political journey, true to his name 'Atal' was determination.

Jaitley, who served as a minister in the Vajpayee government, said Vajpayee accepted criticism and valued consensus as he was a "product" of democracy .

"Atalji created an alternative, which in the last two decades became larger and bigger than the Congress. Alongwith Advaniji, he created a second line leaders both in the Centre and the states. He was always open to ideas; always gave priority to national interest; was always at ease in dealing with both friends and opponents and never allowed himself to get into any petty controversy," Jaitley said.

The Union minister further, in his blog post, wrote that the nuclear test in 1998 was a defining moment of Vajpayee's government as he went out of the way to work for peace with Pakistan. But when the need arose, he inflicted a severe blow to it in Kargil.

Vajpayee's style of working, Jaitley said, "In a polite but firm language he could convey more to his subordinates than what he desired."

Calling him a dreamer, the BJP leader said that Vajpayee dreamt of his own vision. "He dreamt of his own vision. Many of those were born out of his idealism. In fact, several lines of different poems that he wrote reflected his own mood.

"Atalji was a democrat. His political style was liberal. He accepted criticism. He was a product of parliamentary democracy and, therefore, valued consensus. He bore no malice," he wrote.

