Top Himachal leaders pay tributes to ex-PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his birth anniversary

The governor said that the former PM regarded Himachal Pradesh as his second home and that his invaluable contributions to the nation would always be remembered.Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu also paid floral tribute on behalf of the people of the state to Vajpayee, saying he was an extraordinary statesman, a powerful orator and a gifted poet.

Top leaders of Himachal Pradesh, including the governor and chief minister, paid tributes to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his 101st birth anniversary at the historic Ridge in Shimla.

Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla said Vajpayee belonged to everyone and carried both the ruling side and the opposition together and demonstrated that politics may involve competition but should never turn into enmity.

Vajpayee's social and political life was marked by grace, joy and dignity, and his conduct should be a guiding example for present-day politics, Shukla said.

Shukla said that Vajpayee was a towering statesman, a true nationalist and one of the tallest leaders in Indian politics, who always stood firm for the nation's interests. The governor said that the former PM regarded Himachal Pradesh as his second home and that his invaluable contributions to the nation would always be remembered.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu also paid floral tribute on behalf of the people of the state to Vajpayee, saying he was an extraordinary statesman, a powerful orator and a gifted poet. ''His contribution to the nation will always be remembered.'' Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur said, ''It was Vajpayee who envisioned the largest rural road scheme of the country, the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojana (PMGSY). It was because of his industrial package that Baddi became a pharma hub, generating crores of revenue for the state and providing employment to thousands of people'' he said.

BJP state president Rajeev Bindal also paid tributes to Vajpayee.

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