Atal Bihari Vajpayee 95th Birth Anniversary: Modi, Shah Pay Tribute; PM To Unveil Statue In Lucknow

The government will name the strategic tunnel under Rohtang Pass in Himachal Pradesh after former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his birth anniversary on Wednesday.

Image: ANI

Lucknow: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday paid tribute to late BJP stalwart and former  Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at Sadaiv Atal Smarak in New Delhi, on the 95^th birth anniversary of the leader. He was accompanied by BJP veteran Lal Krishna Advani, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP working president JP Nadda and other senior BJP leaders. The government will also name the strategic tunnel under Rohtang Pass in Himachal Pradesh after Vajpayee, and PM Modi will unveil a 25-feet tall statute in Uttar Prdaesh capital Lucknow, later in the day. PM Modi also took to Twitter to pay homage to Vajpayee and shared a video clip having a collection of rare pictures from his life. ‘A tribute to the former Prime Minister Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ji on his birth anniversary, who lives on in the hearts of the countrymen,’ he wrote. PM also paid homage to Madan Mohan Malaviya on his birth anniversary and wrote, “a humble tribute to Mahamana Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya ji on his birth anniversary, who dedicated his life to the service of Mother India. He played an important role in the freedom movement besides making invaluable contribution in the field of education.”

देशवासियों के दिलों में बसे पूर्व प्रधानमंत्री भारत रत्न अटल बिहारी वाजपेयी जी को उनकी जन्म-जयंती पर कोटि-कोटि नमन। pic.twitter.com/9tCkmEUxnf

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 25, 2019

भारत माता की सेवा में अपना जीवन समर्पित करने वाले महामना पंडित मदन मोहन मालवीय जी को उनकी जयंती पर विनम्र श्रद्धांजलि। उन्होंने शिक्षा के क्षेत्र में अमूल्य योगदान देने के साथ आजादी के आंदोलन में भी अहम भूमिका निभाई। उनकी विद्वता और आदर्श देशवासियों को सदा प्रेरित करते रहेंगे।

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 25, 2019

PM Narendra  Modi will also unveil a 25-feet tall statue of Vajpayee at Lok Bhawan in Lucknow on Wednesday. Preparations for the event are done, with senior UP government officials inspecting the venue on Tuesday. The venue has been sanitized with the help of a sniffer dog and bomb detectors. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Governor Anandi Ben will be attending the event along with other state ministers and leaders. Govt decides to name tunnel under Rohtang Pass after Vajpayee: The government will name the strategic tunnel under Rohtang Pass in Himachal Pradesh after former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his birth anniversary on Wednesday. The historic decision to construct a strategic tunnel below the Rohtang Pass was taken on June 3, 2000 when Vajpayee was the prime minister. "Government has decided to honour the contribution of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee by naming the strategic tunnel under Rohtang Pass after him on December 25," the defence ministry said. The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting presided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday. The 8.8-km-long tunnel will be the world's longest above an altitude of 3,000 metres and will reduce the distance between Manali and Leh by 46 kilometres, according to the defence ministry. The tunnel is now nearing completion. Once thrown open, the tunnel will provide all-weather connectivity to remote border areas of Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh which otherwise remain cut off from the rest of the country for about six months during winters. "The Border Roads Organisation worked relentlessly to overcome major geological, terrain and weather challenges that included the most difficult stretch of the 587-metre Seri Nalah Fault Zone," said an official. (additional inputs from PTI)