President, PM Pay Tribute at Vajpayee’s Memorial ‘Sadaiv Atal’

New Delhi, Dec 25: President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President C P Radhakrishnan, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were among the dignitaries who paid homage at ‘Sadaiv Atal’, the memorial of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, on Thursday to mark his 101st birth anniversary.

The ceremony was attended by former Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Union Ministers J P Nadda, Nirmala Sitharaman, JD-U leader Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, BJP working president Nitin Nabin, MPs, and other leaders.

PM Modi said, “I had the privilege to pay tributes to Vajpayee at his memorial ‘Sadaiv Atal’ on his birth anniversary. His life, dedicated to public service and nation-building, will always inspire the people of India.” He added that Vajpayee’s leadership, work, and oratory skills will continue to guide the nation’s development.

Born in Gwalior in 1924, Vajpayee served as India’s 13th Prime Minister for three terms between 1996 and 2004. He is remembered for his contributions to economic growth, infrastructure development, and national security, including the successful conduct of Operation Vijay (Kargil War) and making India a nuclear power.

Vajpayee had a distinguished four decade long parliamentary career, being elected nine times to the Lok Sabha and twice to the Rajya Sabha. Rising from humble beginnings, he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 1992 and the Bharat Ratna in 2015 for his service to the nation.

The government observes Vajpayee’s birth anniversary as Good Governance Day, and the BJP held nationwide commemorative events, highlighting his commitment to democracy, women’s empowerment, social equality, and infrastructure development, including highways, rural roads, and telecom expansion.