PM Modi pays tribute to Atal Bihari Vajpayee: 'Inspired by his rich service to nation'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter on Saturday morning and remembered former Prime Minister of India Atal Bihar Vajpayee on his birth anniversary. Making his wish for the former PM and BJP leader, PM Modi said that the country was 'inspired' by his service. The PM also noted that he had impacted the lives of millions of Indians.

Taking to his Twitter handle, PM Modi paid tribute with a heartfelt message to the visionary leader. "Tributes to respected Atal ji on his birth anniversary," PM Modi wrote in Hindi.

"Remembering Atal Ji on his Jayanti. We are inspired by his rich service to the nation. He devoted his life towards making India strong and developed. His development initiatives positively impacted millions of Indians," he added.

Last year on Atal Bihari Vajpayee's 96th birth anniversary, PM Modi and other top leaders visited the 'Sadaiv Atal' memorial and paid tributes. President Ram Nath Kovind, Union Ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nirmala Sitharaman and Piyush Goyal were also present to pay tribute to the former PM. Speaking about Vajpayee, PM Modi called him a 'visionary' leader who took the country to unprecedented heights of development.

Remembering Atal Bihari Vajpayee

'A man of masses' who was 'firm in his political convictions', Atal Bihari Vajpayee served three terms as the Prime Minister of India - first for a term of 13 days in 1996, then for a period of 13 months from 1998 to 1999, and finally for a full term from 1999 to 2004. 

A veteran Parliamentarian whose career stretched over four decades, Vajpayee was elected to the Lok Sabha (House of the People) nine times and to the Rajya Sabha (House of the States) twice. As India's Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, Chairperson of various important Standing Committees of Parliament and Leader of the Opposition, he was an active participant in shaping India's post-Independence domestic and foreign policy.

During his tenure as Prime Minister, India carried out the Pokhran-II nuclear tests. He also sought to improve diplomatic relations with Pakistan. He travelled to Lahore by bus to meet then Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. After the 1999 Kargil War, he sought to restore relations with Pakistan by inviting the then President Pervez Musharraf to India for a summit at Agra. Vajpayee is still honoured by many as one of the strongest leaders of the country.

Image: PTI