NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday paid glowing tributes to former Prime Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stalwart Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his death anniversary, saying that his undying legacy in diplomacy and strategy remains a guiding light.
“Pay my homage to Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji on his Punya Tithi. His manifold contributions to advancing India on the world stage will always be remembered. In diplomacy and strategy, his legacy remains a guiding light,” Jaishankar posted on X, formerly Twitter.
Born in Gwalior in 1924, Vajpayee was the face of the BJP for decades and was the first non-Congress prime minister to have served a full term in office. Vajpayee served as the Prime Minister of India from May 16, 1996, to June 1, 1996, and again from March 19, 1998, to May 22, 2004. He passed away at AIIMS Hospital in Delhi on August 16, 2018.
Earlier, on Wednesday, President Droupadi Murmu, along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, paid floral tributes to Vajpayee on his fifth death anniversary at the ‘Sadaiv Atal’ memorial in Delhi.
Among the partner leaders of the NDA at the event were former Bihar chief minister Jeetan Ram Manjhi, Tamil Manila Congress leader GK Vasan, AIADMK’s Thambi Durai, Apna Dal leader Anupriya Patel, and NCP leaders Praful Patel and Agatha Sangama, among others. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh, from the Nitish Kumar-led JDU, also paid floral tributes to the former PM on his death anniversary.
Also, significantly, Vajpayee’s foster daughter, Namita Kaul Bhattacharya, laid floral tributes at the memorial of the departed leader. After coming to power in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in order to honour the former Prime Minister and Bharat Ratna recipient, declared that December 25 would be celebrated as Good Governance Day every year, his birthday. (ANI)
Also Watch: