As former premier Atal Bihari Vajpayee turned 93 today, greetings poured in for the veteran statesman, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi among the first to meet him at his residence in the national capital.
"Visited Atal ji to convey birthday greetings to him. Spent time with his family as well," the prime minister wrote on Twitter.
Earlier in the day, Modi credited Vajpayee's phenomenal and visionary leadership which "further raised our prestige at the world stage. I pray for his good health".
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu also wished Vajpayee on his birthday. Naidu posted a poem in Hindi on Twitter by the former prime minister, who is keeping indifferent health and has not been seen in public for a long time. The poem urged people to remain united and not to give up hope in tough times. BJP president Amit Shah and Home minister Rajnath Singh also visited Vajapayee's residence to greet him.
"Visited Atal ji's home to wish him on his birthday," Shah said in a tweet. "Warm wishes to our beloved leader and guide, Shri Atalji on his birthday today. Atalji is a towering and visionary leader who introduced good governance, development and politics of performance in Indian polity. I pray for his good health and long life," Home minister Rajnath Singh said in a tweet.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee is fondly remembered by people across the aisle for his oratory. With nuanced poise, taking his sweet time, Vajpayee often conveyed a message which earned applauds from supporters and grudged admiration from critics.
On his 93rd birthday, here's a look back at Atal Bihari Vajpayee's iconic speeches
1. Atal Bihari Vajpayee' speech as PM during the confidence motion debate in 1996
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2. AB Vajpayee's speech in UN as Foreign Minister in 1977
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3. Atal Bihari Vajpayee's speech about Veer Savarkar
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4. Former PM's view about Pakistan:
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5. Atal Bihari Vajpayee's speech on urea scam
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Apart from these speeches, Vajpayee also expressed his views candidly in many interviews. Here's one freewheeling interaction in Aap Ka Adalat that used to be aired on Zee TV.
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The common thread in all these speeches was his clarity of thought and the ability to deliver his message without any rancour. At a time, when political discourse often tests the limit of public decency, Vajpayee's speeches were truly a class apart.
With PTI inputs
