Thousands gather as Vajpayee's funeral procession leaves BJP headquarters
Thousands of mourners jostled and some clambered on trees to capture the moment on their phones as former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee 's cortege left the BJP's headquarters for Rashtriya Smriti Sthal for the last rites of the poet-politician. People from across the country gathered outside the BJP headquarters and hundreds lined up inside to pay homage to the former prime minister, who wove together pragmatism and a vision for an inclusive India. Vajpayee, 93, passed away at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi Thursday evening after prolonged illness. The young and old, men and women, some with children, collected outside the gates of the BJP headquarters, anxious for a last glimpse of the late leader before the state funeral at the Rashtriya Smriti Sthal on the banks of the Yamuna later in the day. Some clambered on a neem tree outside the BJP headquarters for a better look, desperate to be part of the proceedings but un