Atal Bihari Vajpayee's niece Kanti Mishra responds to cousin Karuna Shukla, says former prime minister 'belongs to nation'

Gwalior: Niece of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Kanti Mishra has rebuffed another niece of the late leader, Karuna Shukla, over her statement criticising the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for carrying the veteran leader’s ashes to different states for immersion. [caption id=“attachment_5035241” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File photo of Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s nice Kanti Misra. ANI[/caption] Speaking to ANI, Mishra said, “He (Vajpayee) does not belong to me or her (Karuna), he belongs to the nation. Everyone cannot go to Delhi so when ‘Kalash’ comes to their state they get a chance to pay their last respects”. Mishra’s statement comes after Karuna, a Congress leader, alleged that the BJP is politicising the former prime minister’s death for gains in the upcoming 2019 elections. Vajpayee passed away on 16 August at All India Institute for Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in the national capital. Following the cremation of the leader, his ashes were distributed to the presidents of BJP-ruled states for immersion.