President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at the ‘Sadev Atal’ memorial in Delhi, paid tribute to former PM and BJP stalwart Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his sixth death anniversary on Friday. Many more leaders, including Union Ministers and leaders of other political parties came to pay their homage. Atal Bihari Vajpayee was one of the country’s most eminent political leaders and a founding member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
He passed away on August 16, 2018, at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) after a long illness. He was the PM three times, once in 1996 and two terms between 1998 and 2004. His birthday is celebrated on December 25, known as ‘Good Governance Day’. He was even awarded Bharat Ratna in 2015.
President Droupadi Murmu visited ‘Sadaiv Atal’, memorial of Bharat Ratna awardee former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, on Saturday to pay tributes on the death anniversary of the former PM.
LIVE: President Murmu pays homage to Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his death anniversary at 'Sadaiv Atal' https://t.co/xJYeXozvjO
---Advertisement---— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) August 16, 2025
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also paid respect to former PM and BJP leader on this occasion. He paid floral tributes and bowed before the samadhi of Vajpayee at Raj Ghat. Earlier, PM Modi took to X to remember Vajpayee and his service towards the nation.
#WATCH | Delhi | PM Modi pays floral tributes to former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his death anniversary at 'Sadaiv Atal' pic.twitter.com/e8ySuDPZPA
— ANI (@ANI) August 16, 2025
“Remembering Atal Ji on his Punya Tithi. His dedication and spirit of service towards the all-round progress of India continue to inspire everyone in building a developed and self-reliant India,” PM Modi posted.
Remembering Atal Ji on his Punya Tithi. His dedication and spirit of service towards the all-round progress of India continue to inspire everyone in building a developed and self-reliant India.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 16, 2025
Who Was Atal Bihari Vajpayee?
Atal Bihari Vajpayee was an Indian politician and poet who was a Prime Minister of India for 13 days in 1996, for 13 months from 1998 to 1999, and for a full term from 1999 to 2004.
Vajpayee was the first Prime Minister besides the Congress Party to serve a full term in office. He was one of the co-founders and a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
In 2014, the Narendra Modi government declared Vajpayee’s birthday – December 25 – as Good Governance Day. In 2015, he received the highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna, from then President of India, Pranab Mukherjee. He died in 2018 from an age-related illness.
Vajpayee never married. However, he adopted and raised Namita Bhattacharya as his own child. Namita was the daughter of a longtime friend of Vajpayee’s, Rajkumari Kaul, and her husband BN Kaul.
Political Career Of Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Vajpayee’s government undertook important projects like National Highways Development Project, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana during his time as Prime Minister. He developed a Historic Vision Document with President Bill Clinton that further improved Indo-US relations. He emphasized coalition politics, but he was pressured by RSS to push the Hindutva agenda.
In his five-decade long political career, he served Rajya Sabha two times and Lok Sabha ten times before retiring from politics in December 2005. He experienced a life-altering stroke in 2009, which had lasting effects on his speech and cognitive functioning.
Death Of Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Vajpayee was hospitalized at AIIMS on June 11, 2018 due to a serious kidney infection. He was officially pronounced dead at 5:05 PM on August 16, 2018. On August 17, Vajpayee’s body was wrapped up in the Indian flag, and taken to the BJP headquarters where BJP party workers declared their homage to a great leader.
He was cremated with the highest honours at Rashtriya Smriti Sthal (National Memorial) near Raj Ghat at 4:00 PM. His adopted daughter Namita Kaul Bhattacharya lit his pyre. Dignitaries, thousands of people, and especially Union Minister of Transport Nitin Gadkari (despite protests), attended his funeral, including Prime Minister Modi and the then President Ram Nath Kovind. Kaul immersed Vajpayee’s ashes in the Ganga in Haridwar, describing it as a “bhoomi pujan” or “earth worship”.
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