Atal Bihari Vajpayee is the only non-Congress leader to complete a full five-year term as prime minister. (file photo) Atal Bihari Vajpayee is the only non-Congress leader to complete a full five-year term as prime minister. (file photo)

Former prime minister and Bharat Ratna awardee, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, turned 93 on Monday. Extending his greetings and warm wishes, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed Vajpayee’s ‘visionary leadership’ and prayed for his good health.

“Birthday greetings to our beloved Atal Ji. His phenomenal as well as visionary leadership made India more developed and further raised our prestige at the world stage. I pray for his good health,” PM Modi tweeted.

Since 2014, Vajpayee’s birthday has been celebrated by the Government as ‘Good Governance Day’.

President Ramnath Kovind also joined PM Modi in wishing Vajpayee. “Birthday wishes to our much-loved and respected former Prime Minister, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee,” he tweeted.

And Vice President Venkaiah Naidu conveyed his “heartfelt greetings” and wished Vajpayee on his birthday. “Convey my heartfelt greetings to Bharat Ratna, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji, on his birthday, today,” he tweeted.

PM Modi, BJP national president Amit Shah, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh were among those who visited Vajpayee’s residence at Krishna Menon Marg in Delhi to wish him on his birthday. BJP workers in Kanpur performed a ‘havan’ today morning and prayed for Vajpayee’s good health and long life.

Vajpayee is the only non-Congress leader to complete a full five-year term as prime minister. In 2014, on Vajpayee’s 91st birthday, the President’s office announced that the former statesman would be conferred India’s highest civilian honour.

Bharat Ratna was among one of the trending topics on Twitter today morning with many celebrating Vajpayee’s leadership and vision. The Congress, on the other hand, remembered Chakravarti Rajagopalachari, India’s last Governor-General of India, on his death anniversary. Rajagopalchari was also conferred the Bharat Ratna for his services to the nation after he resigned as chief minister of Madras.

“Remembering Chakravarti Rajagopalachari on his death anniversary. Freedom Fighter, Statesman and Maker of modern India. He was one of the first recipients of India’s highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna,” read a tweet from the official Twitter handle of the Congress.

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