Rs. 100 commemorative coin released on eve of Vajpayee's birth-anniversary
What's the story
On the eve of Atal Bihari Vajpayee's 94th birth anniversary, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today released a Rs. 100 commemorative coin in the memory of the former premier. Vajpayee's long-time associate and BJP veteran L K Advani, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, and BJP President Amit Shah were also present at the event in the national capital. Here's more.
Information
The former PM died in August this year
The former prime minister, following prolonged illness, died at the age of 93 at AIIMS in Delhi this August. Addressing the gathering, Modi said he would go to Vajpayee's memorial tomorrow to reiterate his commitment to the ideology and path shown by the statesman.
Eulogy
'Atalji never compromised on the ideology of the party'
Modi said while for some, power is oxygen and they cannot live without it, Vajpayee spent a long part of his career in the opposition benches raising issues of national interest. The late prime minister never compromised on the ideology of the party, Modi added. He said, the party, which "Atalji built brick by brick" has become among the largest political parties.
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Vajpayee went to Janata Party to rescue country's democracy: Modi
"Atalji wanted democracy to be supreme. He built Jana Sangh. But, when time came to rescue our democracy, he went to Janata Party. Likewise, when choice was between remaining in power or comprising on ideology, he left Janata Party and formed the BJP," Modi said.
Remembrance
Vajpayee as a speaker was unparalleled, says Modi
Modi further said in his address that Vajpayee was unparalleled as a speaker. "When he spoke, the nation spoke... when he spoke the nation listened," he said. Modi added, "Though he was away from public glare for nearly a decade due to ill health, the way people gave him a farewell on his demise showed the mark he had created in people's minds."