Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday wished former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his 92nd birthday. Modi arrived at the BJP stalwart’s residence and extended his greetings to him. Later, the PM also took to Twitter to wish the nonagenarian leader and praised him.
“Wishing our most beloved & widely respected Atal ji a happy birthday. I pray that he is blessed with good health and a long life,” he tweeted.
Wishing our most beloved & widely respected Atal ji a happy birthday. I pray that he is blessed with good health and a long life.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 25, 2016
On this occasion, Modi shared an old video of him with the former prime minister.
See what Atal ji does when he meets a party Karyakarta. This simplicity and warmth of Atal ji we all cherish, pic.twitter.com/qhw7W27MWS
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 25, 2016
Vajpayee served as India’s prime minister twice in his illustrious political career. He headed a 13-day government in 1996 and then from 1998 to 2004. He is the first non-Congress prime minister to serve a full term. Vajpayee was among the founding members of Bharatiya Jana Sangh, and served as external affairs minister in Morarji Desai-led Janata Party government. Later, he founded the Bharatiya Janata Party in 1980.
He was elected to the Lok Sabha ten times and twice represented in the Rajya Sabha. During his second stint as PM, India conducted five underground nuclear tests in Pokhran area of Rajasthan in 1998. He also led the country to a major victory in the Kargil War of 1999, which helped him return to power in the Lok Sabha elections the same year.
In 2015, India’s highest civilian honour – Bharat Ratna – was conferred on Vajpayee. He is known for his stature in Indian politics, and was widely respected across party lines.
