President Murmu, PM Modi lead tributes to Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his death anniversary

New Delhi [India], August 16 (ANI): President Droupadi Murmu along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar paid tributes to the former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his death anniversary on Friday in a prayer meeting at ‘Sadaiv Atal’ in Delhi.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, JP Nadda, Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla along with other members of the Cabinet also attended the prayer meeting 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 his death anniversary.

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

“Tribute to former Prime Minister, Bharat Ratna, our source of inspiration, respected Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji on his death anniversary,” the official handle of BJP posted on X.

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.

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.