Atal Bihari Vajpayee death anniversary: PM Modi tweeted a montage this morning

New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today tweeted a nearly two-minute-long montage of old photos in memory of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his second death anniversary.

“Tributes to beloved Atal Ji on his Punya Tithi. India will always remember his outstanding service and efforts towards our nation’s progress,” PM Modi tweeted.

The montage features photos and videos of Mr Vajpayee taken during his long career in politics.

PM Modi’s voiceover plays in the video: “This country will never forget Atal ji‘s sacrifice. Under his leadership India held its head high as a nuclear power. As a politician, a Member of Parliament, a minister or Prime Minister, Atal ji has performed very well in many roles. Many great things can be said about Atal ji‘s life, and no one aspect is lesser than the other. His speeches used to be talked about. In future if some expert analysed his speeches, the strength in his silence would turn out many times stronger than his speeches. In parliament also, he would only say a few words. People would get the message from his silence…”

Tributes to beloved Atal Ji on his Punya Tithi. India will always remember his outstanding service and efforts towards our nation’s progress. pic.twitter.com/ZF0H3vEPVd

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 16, 2020

Towards the end of the montage some photos show a younger PM Modi taking blessing from Mr Vajpayee.

Home Minister Amit Shah also tweeted in memory of the former Prime Minister. “Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji was the voice of patriotism and Indian culture. He was a dedicated politician as well as a skilled organiser who played an important role in the foundation and growth of the BJP and inspired millions of workers to serve the country,” Mr Shah said.

Another old photo tweeted by PM Narendra Modi with former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Born on December 25, 1924 in Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior, Mr Vajpayee was the first from the BJP to become Prime Minister. He served as Prime Minister thrice – briefly in 1996, from 1998 to 1999, and then for a full five-year term between 1999 and 2004.

PM Narendra Modi meets with the family of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee during a prayer meeting on his second death anniversary in Delhi (PTI)

Apart from politics, Mr Vajpayee was a prominent writer and wrote a number of poems.

He died on August 16, 2018. December 25 is celebrated as “Good Governance Day” in Mr Vajpayee’s honour.