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

Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Anurag Singh Thakur, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, and other prominent leaders also paid their tributes at Sadaiv Atal.

Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "I joined the 140 crore people of India in paying homage to the remarkable Atal Ji on his Punya Tithi."

The Prime Minister added that India greatly benefited from his leadership and that he played a pivotal role in boosting our nation's progress and taking it into the 21st century in a wide range of sectors.

In a message on social media, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said Atal Ji established the highest standards of politics based on ideology and principles.

He said that with his strong will to serve the nation, on the one hand, he laid the foundation of good governance, and on the other hand, he introduced India's potential to the whole world from Pokhran.

Shah said that he made an invaluable contribution by taking the party from zero to peak with his organisational skills.

Vajpayee, the country's 10th prime minister, breathed his last on August 16, 2018 after a prolonged illness at the age of 93.

Vajpayee served as the Prime Minister of India from May 16, 1996, to June 1, 1996, and again from March 19, 1998, to May 22, 2004. He was the first member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to become India's Prime Minister.

He also served as India's External Affairs Minister in the cabinet of Prime Minister Morarji Desai from 1977 to 1979.

BJP President JP Nadda also paid his tribute on the death anniversary of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and said, "He ushered in a new political era in India".

"His dedication towards poor welfare will always pave our way. On the death anniversary of Bharat Ratna, respected Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji, I bow down to him," he tweeted.