Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu paid homage to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his second death anniversary on Sunday.
M Venkaiah Naidu posted the tribute on Twitter in Hindi which roughly translates to, "I pay homage to the great speaker of our generation, 'Ajatashatru', bearer of liberal democratic values, nationalist poet, skilled administrator, and former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his death anniversary."
Born on December 25, 1924, in Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior, Vajpayee was the first leader from the Bharatiya Janata Party to become the Prime Minister. He served as Prime Minister thrice -- briefly in 1996, from 1998 to 1999 and then for a full five-year term between 1999 and 2004.
It was during his tenure that India had carried out Pokhran tests on May 11 and May 13 in 1998.
Apart from politics, Vajpayee was a prominent writer and penned a number of poems. After 2004, the BJP stalwart retired from active politics owing to his health issues.
The veteran BJP leader passed away on August 16, 2018, at the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) in Delhi after a prolonged illness.
December 25 is celebrated as 'Good Governance Day' in Vajpayee's honour.
( With inputs from ANI )