PM Modi, leaders pay tribute to Atal Bihari Vajpayee on death anniversary

Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid floral tribute to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at his memorial 'Sadaiv Atal' in Delhi on his eighth death anniversary. President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President CP Radhakrishnan, BJP chief JP Nadda, and other senior leaders also attended the prayer meeting, Times Now reports.

In Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath paid tribute at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Convention Centre. He recalled Vajpayee's six-decade political career and his 'Nation First' spirit, saying he believed power should be an instrument of service. Adityanath contrasted this with what he called the Congress party's current conduct towards the armed forces, the Times of India reports.

Vajpayee, a founding leader of the BJP, served as Prime Minister three times and was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 2015. He died on August 16, 2018, at the age of 93.