President Kovind, PM Modi pay tributes on Vajpayee's birth anniversary
What's the story
President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday paid tributes to India's former PM, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, on his 95th birth anniversary.
The President and the PM were joined by several other leaders at the Atal Samadhi Sthal in Delhi on Wednesday morning.
Later in the day, PM Modi will unveil a statue of Vajpayee at Lucknow's Lok Bhawan.
Here's more.
Ceremony
Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, LK Advani among those present
Along with the members of Vajpayee's family, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, also paid their respects to the former PM.
BJP working president JP Nadda, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and senior BJP leader LK Advani also attended the ceremony, where singer Anup Jalota sang prayers in Vajpayee's memory.
Modi tweeted a video tribute to Vajpayee, praising the leader's political acumen.
Twitter Post
You can view Modi's tribute video here
देशवासियों के दिलों में बसे पूर्व प्रधानमंत्री भारत रत्न अटल बिहारी वाजपेयी जी को उनकी जन्म-जयंती पर कोटि-कोटि नमन। pic.twitter.com/9tCkmEUxnf
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 25, 2019
Other tributes
Government to launch Rs. 6,000cr 'Atal Bhujal Yojana'
In Vajypayee's honor, the Modi government will launch several public welfare schemes, including the Atal Bhujal Yojana, a Rs. 6,000 crore project focusing on the advancement of groundwater management.
Modi will also lay the foundation stone of Atal Bihari Medical University and unveil a 25-ft bronze statue of Vajpayee at Lok Bhawan, Lucknow. Reportedly, the government had sanctioned Rs. 90 lakh for the statue.
Information
Rohtang Pass tunnel to be named after Vajpayee
On Tuesday, the government had also decided to name the strategic tunnel under Rohtang Pass in Himachal Pradesh, after the former PM. The decision was proposed in August. The tunnel will be named 'Atal Tunnel'.
History
Vajpayee served three terms as Prime Minister
Born in 1924 in Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior, Vajpayee was among the founding members of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh —the predecessor of the Bharatiya Janata Party— after serving as an active member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
Known for his oratory skills, Vajpayee served three terms as PM: briefly in 1996, from 1998-1999 and then for a full five-year term between 1999 and 2004.
Career highlights
Vajpayee was elected to Lok Sabha ten times
Vajpayee became a Rajya Sabha MP at 37 and was elected to the Lok Sabha ten times.
It was in his tenure that the Pokhran-II nuclear tests were conducted in Rajasthan and the 1999 Kargil War broke.
Notably, he was also arrested in 1942 along with his brother during the Quit India movement.
Apart from politics, he was also a prominent writer.
Information
Vajpayee passed away on August 16, 2018
After resigning as the PM in 2004, Vajpayee stepped away from politics owing to his health. After a prolonged illness, the veteran leader died on August 16, 2018, at the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) in Delhi.