The Vice President of India, Shri M Venkaiah Naidu paid glowing tributes to former Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his first death anniversary today.Unveiling the portrait of the former Prime Minister at the Rabindranath Tagore Centre in Kolkata today, the Vice President said that Vajpayee Ji taught everybody to serve the country selflessly and to remain steadfastly committed to the principles of humanism and tolerance.Describing Shri Vajpayee as a statesman and a visionary, the Vice President said that he was not only one of the tallest leaders of the country but was also one of the most loved leaders.“It is a solemn day today. His humble life, love of country and its people and ability to dream big for the country is an inspiration to all,” he said.The Vice President spoke extensively of his long association of the Shri Vajpayee and said that he had the opportunity to work with him in the party and later as a minister in his cabinet to give shape to rural connectivity revolution by way of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana.Observing that Atal Ji demonstrated how democracy can be strengthened through good governance, the Vice President said that the former Prime Minister ushered in a ‘connectivity’ revolution in the country.
“He gave an unprecedented fillip to the building of national highways, rural roads, air travel infrastructure and massive expansion of the telecom sector. For him, connectivity was the key enabler of economic development and national growth,” he added.Talking about Shri Vajpayee’s active role in shaping India’s post- Independence domestic and foreign policy, the Vice President said that the former Prime Minister strongly believed in a forward-looking, forward moving India, a strong and prosperous nation confident of its rightful place on the international fora.He said Vajpayee Ji firmly believed that India has a legitimate right to becoming a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council.Shri Naidu said that Atal Ji had an uncanny ability to connect with people from all walks of life and with political parties of different ideological moorings. “Atal Ji had virtually no enemies and was rightly called as Ajatshatru,” he added.The Governor of West Bengal, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar, The Minister for Science & Technology and Biotechnology and Forest Department, Government of West Bengal, Shri Bratya Basu, Member of Parliament & President of Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Dr. Vinay Sahasrabuddhe and the Director-General, Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Shri Akhilesh Mishra were present.