Former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee turned 93 today.
President Ram Nath Kovind wished the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stalwart. Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi also extended their wishes.
Birthday wishes to our much-loved and respected former Prime Minister, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee #PresidentKovind
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) December 25, 2017
"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," Modi tweeted.
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.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 25, 2017
Vajpayee is the first and the only non-Congress leader who completed his full term as prime minister from 1999 to 2004. He was elected to the Lok Sabha once from Gwalior in 1971, twice each from Balrampur (1957, 1967) and New Delhi (1977, 1980) and five times from Lucknow (1991, 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2004).
Born in 1924, he entered politics during the Quit India movement in 1942. In 2015, Vajpayee was conferred the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour.
He retired from active politics in 2005.
