Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday announced that the death anniversary of former Prime Minister Bharat Ratna Late Atal Bihari Vajpayee will be observed with all state honours. Bihar Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar paid their respects to the former PM on his death anniversary by garlanding his life-size statue at Patliputra Park in Patna.
Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary, Bihar Assembly Speaker Nandkishore Yadav, Water Resources Minister cum Parliamentary Affairs Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, BJP State President cum Revenue and Land Reforms Minister Dr. Dilip Kumar Jaiswal were also present during the occasion.
Earlier in the day, President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi 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' here.
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."
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.