President Kovind, PM Modi, Vice President and other leaders pay tributes to former PM Vajpayee on second death anniversary

New Delhi: President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and several other leaders on Sunday paid tributes to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his second death anniversary.

President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid their tributes at the BJP stalwart’s memorial, Sadaiv Atal, here on Sunday.

#WATCH Delhi: President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu & Prime Minister Narendra Modi pay tribute to former PM #AtalBihariVajpayee, on his death anniversary today at ‘Sadaiv Atal’ – the memorial of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. pic.twitter.com/pIaYOZFIMZ

— ANI (@ANI) August 16, 2020

Tributes to beloved Atal Ji on his Punya Tithi. India will always remember his outstanding service and efforts towards our nation’s progress,” the PM said in his message.

Tributes to beloved Atal Ji on his Punya Tithi. India will always remember his outstanding service and efforts towards our nation’s progress. pic.twitter.com/ZF0H3vEPVd

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 16, 2020

M Venkaiah Naidu posted the tribute on Twitter in Hindi which roughly translates to, “I pay homage to the great speaker of our generation, ‘Ajatashatru’, bearer of liberal democratic values, nationalist poet, skilled administrator, and former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his death anniversary.”

हमारी पीढ़ी के ओजस्वी वक्ता,
अजातशत्रु,
उदार लोकतांत्रिक मूल्यों के वाहक,
शब्द शिल्पी,
प्रखर राष्ट्रवादी कवि,
कुशल प्रशासक,
भारत के पूर्व प्रधानमंत्री,
स्वर्गीय श्री अटल बिहारी वाजपेयी की पुण्य तिथि पर उनकी पावन स्मृति को श्रद्धा सुमन अर्पित करता हूं! #AtalBihariVajpayee pic.twitter.com/wQdWAUdovM

— Vice President of India (@VPSecretariat) August 16, 2020

Union Home Minister Amit  Shah posted the tribute on Twitter in Hindi which roughly translates to, “Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji was the voice of patriotism and Indian culture. He was a dedicated politician as well as a skilled organiser who played an important role in the foundation and growth of the BJP and inspired millions of workers to serve the country.”

अटल जी के प्रधानमंत्री कार्यकाल में देश ने पहली बार सुशासन को चरितार्थ होते देखा। जहां एक ओर उन्होंने सर्व शिक्षा अभियान, पीएम ग्राम सड़क योजना, राष्ट्रीय राजमार्ग विकास परियोजना जैसे विकासशील कार्य किए तो वहीं दूसरी ओर पोखरण परीक्षण व करगिल विजय से मजबूत भारत की नींव रखी।

— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) August 16, 2020

Born on December 25, 1924, in Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior, Vajpayee was the first leader from the Bharatiya Janata Party to become the Prime Minister. He served as Prime Minister thrice — briefly in 1996, from 1998 to 1999 and then for a full five-year term between 1999 and 2004.

It was during his tenure that India had carried out Pokhran tests on May 11 and May 13 in 1998.

Apart from politics, Vajpayee was a prominent writer and penned a number of poems. After 2004, the BJP stalwart retired from active politics owing to his health issues.

The veteran BJP leader passed away on August 16, 2018, at the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) in Delhi after a prolonged illness.

December 25 is celebrated as ‘Good Governance Day’ in Vajpayee’s honour.