Recollecting his association with Vajpayee, Satyabrata Mukherjee who had served as a minister in his cabinet in 2000, said he never imposed his views on others and used to listen to everyone.
Rich tributes were paid to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee by senior BJP leaders on at a condolence meeting here which was skipped by the opposition Left Front and Congress.
State Information Minister Indranil Sen was present at the meeting.
Representatives of the JD(U), RJD and Lok Samata Party attended the meet.
The ruling TMC, besides the Congress and CPI(M), had on Tuesday said that they would not attend the condolence meeting as they had already attended the one organised by the BJP central unit in New Delhi after Vajpayee's death.
Recollecting his association with Vajpayee, Satyabrata Mukherjee who had served as a minister in his cabinet in 2000, said he never imposed his views on others and used to listen to everyone.
"When we were in the midst of a cabinet meeting Atalji came to hear that he was giving priority to RSS. Deeply hurt and angry he had said that he was going to the president to submit his resignation", he said.
"Later, we learnt that his intention was not to submit any resignation, but to dismiss that notion," Mukherjee said.
West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi said Vajpayee was man of rare wit and also a great believer of ethics in politics.
When Vajpayee was facing defeat in the no-trust vote in 1999, he had desisted from resorting to horse trading and accepted his fate with grace, Tripathi said.
Two historic events took place during Vajpayee's regime - the Pokhran nuclear test and the Kargil war which showed that India could not be cowed down, he added.
BJP leaders Shiv Prakash and Kailash Vijayvargia paid their tributes to the leader, while BJP Rajya Sabha MP Rupa Ganguly sang Rabindrasangeet at the condolence meeting.
Meghalaya governor Tathagata Chatterjee and BJP national secretary Rahul Sinha said that Vajpayee had a deep sense of wit and the ability to absorb unpleasant outcomes with a tinge of humour.
BJP leader Mukul Roy, who was earlier in the TMC, said that the party (TMC) would not have been formed had Vajpayee and L K Advani not been there.
Sinha criticised the CPI-M for not attending the condolence meeting and said former West Bengal chief minister Jyoti Basu had great regard for Vajpayee.
He said statue of Vajpayee should be installed here and leaders of all political parties should attend its inauguration.
State BJP president Dilip Ghosh and several foreign consul generals along with few spiritual leaders were present at the programme.
Meanwhile a report from Suri said there was a clash between ruling TMC and BJP workers at Jaydev ghat on Ajay river in which Vajpayee's ashes were immersed.
BJP leaders alleged that three of its workers were attacked and seriously injured by TMC-backed miscreants while they were making preparations for the programme. One of them was wounded in his head and all the injured were taken to Illambazar block hospital.
TMC leaders denied the allegation.
BJP workers paid tribute to Vajpayee at Bolpur, Rampurhat, Suri and other places where large police force were deployed.
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