NEW DELHI:  On the fourth death anniversary of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Droupadi Murmu, and newly elected Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar paid tribute to the legendary leader. At the monument for Atal Bihari Vajpayee in the nation's capital, "Sadaiv Atal," PM Modi was joined by a number of union ministers, including Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP President J P Nadda.

The senior BJP leader, who passed away in 2018 at the age of 93, received floral tributes from the leaders. Namita Kaul Bhattacharya, Vajpayee's foster daughter, joined the BJP leaders and was also at "Sadaiv Atal."

The BJP stalwart who joined the RSS in 1947 and worked his way up through the ranks to become a stalwart of the BJP was remembered during the prayer meeting that PM Modi and the other dignitaries also attended. The BJP's ascent to power in the second part of the 1990s was greatly aided by Vajpayee's contributions. His friendly demeanour and relationships with people from other parties enabled him and the party win over many partners and build a successful coalition.

The first non-Congress Prime Minister to serve a full term in office, Vajpayee was in charge for six years from 1998 and 2004. He was re-elected 10 times to the Lok Sabha and twice to the Rajya Sabha during his 47 years as a member of parliament.

In 1992, Vajpayee received the Padma Vibhushan, the nation's second-highest civilian honour, and in 2015, then-Indian President Pranab Mukherjee bestowed upon him the Bharat Ratna, the nation's highest civilian honour.

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