President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with other dignitaries paid floral tributes to late prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his 100th birth anniversary at Sadaiv Atal memorial on Thursday. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Bharatiya Janata Party Chief JP Nadda were among the top leaders who also paid tributes to the ex-prime minister.
PM Modi remembers Vajpayee
Meanwhile, PM Modi wrote an article on his website - narendramodi.in recalling his memories with the stalwart. "Today, on Atal Ji’s 100th birth anniversary, penned a few thoughts on his monumental contribution to our nation and how his efforts transformed many lives," he posted on X.
"Today, 25th December is a very special day for all of us. Our nation marks the 100th Jayanti of our beloved former Prime Minister, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ji. He stands tall as a statesman who continues to inspire countless people. | Our nation will always be grateful to Atal Ji for being the architect of India’s transition into the 21st century. When he took oath as PM in 1998 our nation had passed through a period of political instability. In about 9 years we had seen 4 Lok Sabha elections. The people of India were getting impatient and also sceptical about governments being able to deliver. It was Atal Ji who turned this tide by providing stable and effective governance. Coming from humble roots, he realised the strug-gles of the common citizen and the transformative power of effective governance," PM Modi wrote in the note.
Vajpayee, who joined the Rastriya Swamsevak Sangha (RSS) in 1947 rose through ranks to become a stalwart of the BJP and was the first non-Congress prime minister to complete a full term in office.
Vajpayee's political career
Seen as a moderate face of BJP, Vajpayee's first became prime minister in 1996, leading a shaky coalition whose members were suspicious of the BJP's right-wing politics. It lasted for 13 days and collapsed after losing a vote of no-confidence. His second stint as prime minister was in 1998 when the National Democratic Alliance again came to power but that lasted for just 13 months. Finally, the NDA with Vajpayee as PM returned to power in 1999 and was voted out in 2004.
Young man one day will become the country's PM: Nehru's statement for Vajpayee
A lifelong bachelor, Vajpayee was first elected to Lok Sabha in 1957 from Balrampur in Uttar Pradesh in India's second general elections. His maiden speech in Parliament so impressed his peers and colleagues that the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru introduced Vajpayee to a visiting foreign dignitary thus: "This young man one day will become the country's prime minister."
He remained a member of Parliament for 47 years -- elected 10 times to the Lok Sabha and twice to Rajya Sabha.
Vajpayee's signature in politics was achieving pragmatic consensus, and in this process he earned the respect of his party, allies and opponents. Abroad, he projected a harmonious image of India and connected it to the world through his foreign policy outreach. The former prime minister was admitted to the hospital on June 11 with a kidney tract infection, urinary tract infection, low urine output and chest congestion.
Vajpayee was born on December 25, 1924 in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh to a schoolteacher, Krishna Bihari Vajpayee, and Krishna Devi. Today, his birthday is celebrated as ‘Good Governance Day’.
After schooling, he graduated from Victoria College in Gwalior, now known as Laxmi Bai College. He did his M.A. in political science from DAV College in Kanpur.
Following a brief flirtation with communism, he became a full-time worker of RSS in 1947.
(With agencies inputs)
