Atal Bihari Vajpayee birth anniversary: A special event was organised in Dehradun on the occasion of the 100th birth anniversary of former prime minister and Bharat Ratna awardee Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Wednesday (December 25).
The programme was attended by India TV Chairman and Editor-in-Chief Rajat Sharma, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, Himachal Pradesh Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla and former Uttarakhand CM Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank'. On this occasion, a statue of Atal Bihari Vajpayee was also unveiled today.
Vajpayee became Prime Minister of India thrice
Atal Bihari Vajpayee was born in 1924 and he was one of the founding members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He served as the Prime Minister of India three times. His first term in 1996 was only for 13 days. He then became the Prime Minister again in 1998 and held the position for 13 months. In 1999, he became the Prime Minister for the third time. He was the first non-Congress leader to complete a full term as Prime Minister.
Vajpayee 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.
President Murmu, PM Modi pay tribute to Vajpayee
To pay tribute to Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his birth anniversary, a prayer meeting was organised at his memorial, which was attended by President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On this occasion, Union Ministers including Home Minister Amit Shah and Health Minister JP Nadda were also present at the event 'Sadaiv Atal.'
Additionally, from BJP’s allied parties, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Janata Dal (United) leader Lalan Singh, and Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) leader Jitan Ram Manjhi also paid tribute to Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The tribute meeting was also attended by Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, and members of Vajpayee’s adopted daughter's family.
Prime Minister Modi posted on ‘X’, saying, “Respected Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ji gave the country a new direction and momentum while preserving constitutional values, and his impact will always remain eternal. It has been my privilege to receive his full companionship and blessings.”