New Delhi, Aug 20: Former J-K CM Farooq Abdullah praised former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee as the “emperor of people’s hearts.”

“He was not a Prime Minister, he ruled over the hearts of the people of India. He was large-hearted. No one had a heart like him,” Abdullah was quoted as saying by ANI.

In a forceful voice, Abdullah said that the perfect tribute to Vajpayee would be an India before which the entire world bows.

“If you want to remember Atal, make a country where there is so much love that the whole world bows before it,” he said ending his tribute with cries of “Bharat Mata ki jai”.

“If you look for definition of certain words, you have to look in the dictionary. But there’s one word you don’t need to look in dictionary…if you look at his face you will get the meaning of the word ‘secular’,” said Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who was honoured with the Bharat Ratna in 2015, passed away at AIIMS in New Delhi on 16 August, a day after the 71st Independence Day celebrations.

His funeral cortege was followed by lakhs led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself, who walked all the way from the BJP headquarters to Smriti Sthal where Vajpayee was cremated.

Top leaders from India’s political spectrum as well as dignitaries from SAARC nations, including Pakistan, were present at Vajpayee’s cremation.