Modi pays tribute to Atal Bihari Vajpayee on death anniversary
What's the story
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday paid tribute to former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his second death anniversary. PM Modi remembered Vajpayee for his "outstanding service" to the nation and shared a two-minute video featuring old pictures and videos highlighting the political career of the former PM. Union Ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh also paid their respects to Vajpayee.
Details
'Tributes to beloved Atal ji on his Punya Tithi'
Modi tweeted, "Tributes to beloved Atal ji on his Punya Tithi. India will always remember his outstanding service and efforts towards our nation's progress." In the video, Modi said, "As a politician, an MP, a minister or PM, Atal ji performed well in many roles. Many great things can be said about his life and no aspect is lesser than the other."
Twitter Post
You can view the tweet here
Tributes to beloved Atal Ji on his Punya Tithi. India will always remember his outstanding service and efforts towards our nation’s progress. pic.twitter.com/ZF0H3vEPVd
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 16, 2020
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'Voice of patriotism and Indian culture,' says Shah
Union Home Minister Amit Shah also tweeted, "Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji was the voice of patriotism and Indian culture." He added, "He was a dedicated politician as well as a skilled organizer who played an important role in the expansion of the BJP after laying its foundation and inspired millions of workers to serve the country."
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Modi administration keeping Atal ji's ideas in mind: Shah
Shah went on to add, "Today under the leadership of Prime Minister @NarendraModi, the central government is on the path of good governance and poor welfare keeping Atal ji's ideas in mind and is committed to making India a superpower in the world."
Others' remarks
A real Bharat Ratna, said Vice President Venkaiah Naidu
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted saying Vajpayee's "tremendous contribution towards pubic life and India's development will always be cherished." Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu wrote, "He was a real Bharat Ratna, who worked and lived for Bharat." IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad also said, "He will always be remembered for being a great humanist and a visionary leader and also for his soulful poetry."
Life
Vajpayee served as India's PM thrice
Vajpayee was born on December 25, 1924, in Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior and went on to become the first BJP leader to become the PM. Vajpayee served as India's PM thrice: briefly in 1996, from 1998-1999, and then from 1999-2004. He retired from active politics due to health concerns after 2004 and died on August 16, 2018, at AIIMS in Delhi after a prolonged illness.