New Delhi [India], December 25 : Namita Kaul Bhattacharya, the foster daughter of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, paid floral tributes to the former on his 101st birth anniversary at 'Sadaiv Atal' memorial in Delhi.
To mark the late Prime Minister's birth anniversary, several prominent leaders paid floral tributes at the 'Sadaiv Atal' memorial in Delhi. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta was among those who offered floral tributes to the veteran BJP leader.
In a post on X, Rekha Gupta described Vajpayee as an inimitable mass leader who had no enemies and praised him for preserving the dignity of Indian democracy.
"On the birth anniversary of the resplendent star of Indian politics, former Prime Minister 'Bharat Ratna' revered Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji, I offer millions of salutations to him. As the founding president of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the ideological foundation established by revered Atal ji has inspired our organisation to become the world's largest political family today. He was an inimitable mass leader without enemies, whose colossal personality embodied a unique confluence of the unwavering resolve of the Himalayas and the pristine purity of the Ganga," she said.
"His entire life was a living ritual of ethics, integrity, and national devotion, which endowed Indian politics with new heights of values. As a vigilant guardian of parliamentary decorum, he always preserved the dignity of Indian democracy unblemished and made good governance the foundation of national policy. His unwavering commitment to principles, visionary foresight spanning eras, and all-inclusive leadership will continue to inspire the nation for ages to come," said CM Gupta.
Other leaders, including President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President C P Radhakrishnan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, also paid tributes to Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Former Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Union Minister J P Nadda, and BJP National Working President Nitin Nabin also visited the 'Sadaiv Atal' memorial to pay homage to the former Prime Minister.
PM Modi, in a post on X, described Atal Bihari Vajpayee as a statesman whose conduct, dignity, and unwavering commitment to the national interest set a benchmark for Indian politics.
"The birth anniversary of the esteemed Atal Ji is a special occasion for all of us to draw inspiration from his life. His conduct, dignity, ideological steadfastness, and resolve to place the nation's interest above all serve as an ideal standard for Indian politics. Through his life, he demonstrated that excellence is established not by position, but by conduct, and it is that which guides society", PM Modi wrote in his tweet.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee was born on December 25, 1924, in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, and was elected three times as the nation's prime minister. He 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 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.