Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], December 25 : Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday paid tribute to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his 100th birth anniversary and called him a great thinker of Indian politics and a true son of Mother India who dedicated his entire life to the prestige, service and development of the country.
Speaking to ANI, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, "The birth centenary of Prime Minister Atal Ji is being celebrated all over the country. I believe that Atal Ji was a great thinker of Indian politics and a true son of Mother India who dedicated his entire life to the prestige, service and development of the country. Atal ji not only got the respect of the people of his political party but other political parties as well."
Singh also praised Vajpayee for strengthening the Indian economy and starting the North East West Corridor.
"I have had a personal relationship with him, I have also got the opportunity to work with him for a long time...He played a very important role in strengthening the Indian economy and everyone knows that the GDP growth rate at that time was more than 8%. I think this was a very big achievement. He also started the North East West Corridor. He started many such schemes and I believe these schemes were pathbreaking steps," Defence Minister Singh said.
Earlier today, President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other dignitaries paid floral tribute to the Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his 100 birth anniversary at the 'Sadaiv Atal' memorial in New Delhi.
Vajpayee was born on December 25, 1924, in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, and was elected three times as the nation's prime minister.
Vajpayee served as the Prime Minister of India from May 16, 1996, to June 1, 1996, and again from 19 March 1998 to 22 May 2004. He also served as India's External Affairs Minister in the cabinet of Prime Minister Moraji Desai from 1977 to 1979. He passed away at AIIMS Hospital in Delhi on August 16, 2018.