PM Modi tributes BJP veteran LK Advani as he turns 99
The Prime Minister recalled the former Deputy Prime Minister's role in building the BJP and his long partnership with Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has written a tribute to veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani as the leader turns 99 on Sunday. According to Moneycontrol, the Prime Minister described Advani as a figure whose life has intersected with multiple chapters of modern India.
Reflecting on Advani's journey, the Prime Minister noted that the leader rebuilt his life in India after being forced to leave Sindh during the 1947 Partition. He credited Advani with helping the BJP become a major political force, noting that the party reached the status of the single largest parliamentary group for the first time in 1996 during his presidency.
The Prime Minister also highlighted Advani's decades-long partnership with former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, stating the two leaders worked together without becoming competitors. He recalled assisting Advani with election papers during the 1991 Lok Sabha elections when the veteran leader contested from Gandhinagar.
Advani previously served as the Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting in the 1977 Janata government, and later as Union Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government. He was conferred the Bharat Ratna in 2024.
The BJP is holding a special programme at its central headquarters in New Delhi on Sunday to mark the occasion. The event includes a puja, a video screening of Advani's life, and addresses by BJP national president Nitin Nabin and Union Minister Piyush Goyal.