Atal Bihari Vajpayee death anniversary: President Droupadi Murmu, PM Modi pay tributes to BJP stalwart

Pic/PTI

President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar paid tributes to former prime minister and BJP stalwart Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his death anniversary on Friday.

They were joined by other dignitaries, including Union ministers, and leaders from different parties in paying homage to Vajpayee at his memorial 'Sadaiv Atal' in Delhi.

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Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, JP Nadda, Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla along with other members of the Cabinet also attended the prayer meeting of Atal Bihari Vajpayee death anniversary at 'Sadaiv Atal', the memorial of the former prime minister.

Vajpayee's foster daughter Namita Kaul Bhattacharya also arrived at 'Sadaiv Atal', to pay him floral tribute on Atal Bihari Vajpayee death anniversary.

Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar was also present at the 'Sadaiv Atal' memorial to pay tribute to former PM Vajpayee.

In his tribute, PM Modi said on X, "He is remembered by countless people for his unparalleled contribution to nation-building. He devoted his entire life towards ensuring that our fellow citizens lead a better quality of life. We will keep working to fulfil his vision for India."

Union Minister Amit Shah paid tribute to former PM Vajpayee and said as a Prime Minister, he strengthened the country strategically and economically.

"Whenever there is a talk of political purity, loyalty towards national interest and steadfastness towards principles in the country, Atal ji will be remembered. On one hand, through the establishment of the BJP, he popularized the ideology of national interest, while as Prime Minister, he strengthened the country strategically and economically. I pay my heartfelt tributes to Bharat Ratna's respected Atal ji on his death anniversary," Shah posted on X.

Born in Gwalior in 1924, Vajpayee was the face of the BJP for decades and was the first non-Congress prime minister to have served a full term in office.

A widely-respected politician acknowledged as among the finest orators, Vajpayee played a crucial role in drawing allies for his party in the coalition era of the '90s and became the first prime minister from the BJP.

His stewardship of the country between 1998-2004 is known for reforms and boost to infrastructure sectors. He passed away in 2018 at the age of 93 years.

Vajpayee served as the Prime Minister of India from May 16, 1996, to June 1, 1996, and again from 19 March 1998 to 22 May 2004. He also served as India's External Affairs Minister in the cabinet of Prime Minister Moraji Desai from 1977 to 1979. He passed away at AIIMS Hospital in Delhi on August 16, 2018.