President Kovind and Prime Minister Modi lead tributes for former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, on his birth anniversary.
Former Prime Minister the late Atal Bihari Vajpayee was one of the co-founders of the Bharatiya Janata Party, was also a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. He was the first non-Congress PM to serve a full term in office. He was a remarkable poet and a writer, often quoted in Parliament and outside, still enjoys significant following across party line
On Saturday, President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Home Minister Amit Shah along with other leaders paid homage to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, on his birth anniversary.
Kovind along with Modi and all senior leaders gathered at ‘Sadaiv Atal’ stall and paid floral tributes to the late leader. “We are inspired by his rich service to the nation. He devoted his life to making India strong and developed. His development initiatives positively impacted millions of Indians,” the prime minister tweeted.
Singh bowed before the party stalwart on his jayanti. “He was a great nationalist who distinguished himself as an eminent orator, wonderful poet, able administrator, and a remarkable reformist,” the Defence Minister who once served in the Vajpayee cabinet tweeted, and also said: “Atalji’s tremendous contribution to India’s public life will never be forgotten”.
Shah said the late leader had given a new direction to Indian politics “by realizing the vision of Antyodaya and good governance in the country with his unshakable principles and amazing devotion”. He called him “a unique patriot”. The Lok Sabha Speaker said: “He used to take the whole of India along. The story of his thought and struggle of life is an inspiration for future generations.”
BJP national president JP Nadda remembered Vajpayee as “guide of all of us, who dedicated his entire life in the service of Mother India”. Paying homage to the late parry leader at his samadhi sthal, Nadda said: “His contribution in nation-building will always be remembered.” Vajpayee was born on December 25, 1924. In the 1990s. The BJP stalwart who breathed his last on August 16, 2018, served thrice as prime minister. His first term lasted 13 days in 1996, the next was for 13 months from 1998 to 1999, followed by a full term from 1999 to 2004.
During his tenure as prime minister, India carried out the Pokhran-II nuclear tests in 1998. Vajpayee strived to enhance diplomatic relations with Pakistan, travelling to Lahore by bus to meet with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. After the 1999 Kargil War with Pakistan, he sought to restore relations through engagement with President Pervez Musharraf, inviting him to India for a summit at Agra.
The administration of Narendra Modi declared in 2014 that Vajpayee’s birthday, 25 December, would be marked as Good Governance Day. In 2015, he was conferred India’s highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, by the president of India, Pranab Mukherjee. He died on 16 August 2018 of an age-related illness.
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