Bihar BJP chief Sanjay Saraogi remembers Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his 101st birth anniversary

Patna (Bihar) [India], December 26 (ANI): Bihar BJP President Sanjay Saraogi on Thursday remembered former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his 101st birth anniversary, recalling his contributions to the country's development.
Speaking to ANI, Saraogi said that Vajpayee not only made India a nuclear power but also formulated several schemes that became the backbone of the rural economy.
"Atal Bihari Vajpayee was a statesman and a leader admired by all party members... His contribution towards making India a nuclear power is immense...Atal Bihari Vajpayee made India a nuclear power by conducting the Pokhran nuclear tests. He initiated many schemes, from the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (Education for All campaign) to the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (Prime Minister's Rural Roads Scheme). He launched several such schemes that have become the backbone of the rural economy today," the Bihar BJP chief said.
He further noted how Vajpayee's decision to include Maithili in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution helped Mithila rise, underlining that in recent times, students from the southern states are opting Maithili language to pursue and pass competitive government examinations.
"Mithila will always be indebted to Atal Ji. It was Atal Ji who included Maithili in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, and today, not only students from Mithila but also from the southern states are adopting Maithili and passing the UPSC exams, becoming District Magistrates and Superintendents of Police," Saraogi said.
Furthermore, the BJP leader said that after Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is following in the footsteps to carry forward the legacy of the nation.
"Atal Ji made India a nuclear power. But today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made India the fourth-largest military and economic power. Atal Ji once said in Parliament, when his government fell by a single vote and the Congress members were laughing, that - 'Today you are laughing, but in the coming times, the entire country will be with the BJP'. What Atal Ji said in Parliament is being realised today by PM Modi. The dream that Atal Ji saw is coming true," he said.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee was born on December 25, 1924, in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, and took the oath of office as prime minister three times. He was the face of the BJP for decades and the first non-Congress prime minister to serve a full term.
Vajpayee first served as prime minister for 13 days from May 16 to June 1 in 1996, then for 13 months from March 1998 to April 1999, and finally for a full term from 1999 to 2004.
He also served as India's External Affairs Minister in Prime Minister Moraji Desai's cabinet from 1977 to 1979. He passed away at AIIMS Hospital in Delhi on August 16, 2018. (ANI)