President, PM pay tributes to Vajpayee on his death anniversary

The two leaders besides Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and many Union ministers, including Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh, went to Sadaiv Atal, the memorial to Vajpayee here, to pay their tributes. 

Modi tweeted, ''We remember his warm personality, we remember his endearing nature, we remember his wit and humor, we remember his contribution to national progress. Atal Ji lives in the hearts and minds of our citizens.''

Born in 1924, Vajpayee remained the most popular face of the BJP till he remained active in politics and was instrumental along with L K Advani in its rise to power in the late 90s.

His moderate politics and pleasant personality were seen as key to the BJP winning over new allies in an era of politics when its Hindutva ideology was opposed by almost every party, including those who offered their support to its bid for power. Vajpayee died in 2018.