New Delhi [India], August 16 : Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday paid tribute to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his death anniversary.
Singh remembered his lifelong efforts to build a strong and prosperous India and also added that the nation will always remember his tremendous contribution.
In a post on X, Rajnath Singh wrote, "I pay homage to Atalji on his punyatithi. He worked all his life with the resolve of building a strong and prosperous India. The nation will always remember his tremendous contribution."
https://x.com/rajnathsingh/status/1956531527262904800
Union Ministers JP Nadda, Kiren Rijiju and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, along with JD(U) MP Sanjay Jha and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, gathered at 'Sadaiv Atal', the memorial of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, to pay their respects on his death anniversary.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee was born on December 25, 1924, in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, and was elected three times as the nation's prime minister.
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 March 19, 1998, to May 22, 2004. He also served as India's External Affairs Minister in the cabinet of Prime Minister Morarji Desai from 1977 to 1979.
He passed away at AIIMS Hospital in Delhi on August 16, 2018.
Meanwhile, a day earlier, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh called Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 79th Independence Day address "excellent and inspiring", saying it highlighted national progress, security plans, and a roadmap to achieve a 'Viksit Bharat' by 2047.
In a post on X, the Defence Minister wrote, "An excellent and inspiring address by Pradhanmantri PM Narendra Modiji from the ramparts of Red Fort, in which he highlighted many subjects and emphasised on accomplishing the goal of Viksit Bharat by 2047. He presented a roadmap of India's progress and national security in his speech. It also covered the milestones India has achieved and the potential that lies ahead. I congratulate Modiji for his wonderful speech."