Atal Bihari Vajpayee birth anniversary: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and other top BJP leaders paid tribute to the former prime minister and Bharatiya Janata Party stalwart Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his 99th birth anniversary at Sadaiv Atal, New Delhi on Monday.
"On behalf of all the family members of the country, I pay my deepest respects to respected former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji on his birth anniversary. He remained engaged in accelerating nation building throughout his life. His dedication and service towards mother India will remain a source of inspiration even in Amritkal," PM Modi posted on X.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with other senior BJP leaders, including Union ministers Rajnath Singh and Nirmala Sitharaman and BJP chief JP Nadda, were present at the prayer event at the memorial.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah also paid tributes to Vajpayee saying he made the world realise the power of emerging India through the nuclear tests and the Kargil War.
Home Shah also paid homage to noted educationist and social reformer Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya.
The home minister said Vajpayee served the society selflessly and the country will always remember his immense contributions.
"I remember and salute former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his birth anniversary. Atal ji served the country and society selflessly and gave a new direction to nationalist politics in the country through the establishment of BJP," he wrote on X in Hindi.
On one hand, Vajpayee made the world realise the power of emerging India through the nuclear tests and the Kargil War, on the other hand, he implemented the vision of good governance in the country, Shah said.
Vajpayee was born on December 25, 1924, and died on August 16, 2018.
Shah said Malaviya believed that building a strong nation was possible only by inculcating the values of nationalism among the youth.
"Pt. Madan Mohan Malaviya is an excellent example of how a person can dedicate his life to the better future of the nation, culture and youth," he wrote on X in Hindi.
"Due to his contribution to the country's independence and strong education system, he was given the title of 'Mahamana'. Tributes to Bharat Ratna Pt. Madan Mohan Malaviya ji on his birth anniversary," he said.
Malaviya, one of the founders of the Banaras Hindu University, was born on December 25, 1861, and died on November 12, 1946.
Born in Gwalior in 1924, Vajpayee was the face of the BJP for decades. His birth anniversary is also observed as 'Good Governance Day' since 2014.
(With PTI inputs)
