New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tributes to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his 99th birth anniversary on Monday, saying he worked to speed up the country’s development all his life.
Modi, along with President Droupadi Murmu, her predecessor Ram Nath Kovind, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and several Union ministers, including Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nirmala Sitharaman, Kiren Rijiju, Hardeep Singh Puri and Arjun Ram Meghwal, paid tributes to the BJP stalwart at his memorial, “Sadaiv Atal”, here.
Vajpayee’s dedication and spirit of service to the country will be a source of inspiration during the “Amrit Kaal” — the period leading up to the centenary of India’s independence in 2047 — Modi said on X.
A great orator, Vajpayee was the popular face of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh and then, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). His acceptability beyond ideological boundaries was a key reason behind the BJP drawing support from several political parties as he ran a successful coalition government from 1999 to 2004.
Vajpayee was born on December 25, 1924 and he died on August 16, 2018.
In another post on X in Hindi, the prime minister paid tributes to noted freedom fighter and educationist Madan Mohan Malaviya on his birth anniversary.
Malaviya’s incomparable personality and work will inspire every generation in the country, the prime minister said.
In the evening, the “Atal Bhajan Sandhya” programme was organised at the Dr Ambedkar International Centre, which was attended by Murmu, BJP chief J P Nadda and other dignitaries.
PTI