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A well-deserved Bharat Ratna, echo BJP leaders

"Atalji means so much to everyone. A guide, inspiration and giant among giants. His contribution to India is invaluable," Narendra Modi, PM, tweeted

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Outside former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's residence, two men of the Special Protection Group (SPG) stood with sheets of names of scheduled visitors. Since morning on Wednesday, when it was announced that he would get the Bharat Ratna, there has been a string of visitors at 6A Krishna Menon Marg.

Several senior ministers -- Rajnath Singh, Sushma Swaraj, Nitin Gadkari and Ananth Kumar-- paid a visit to Vajpayee. Several others, including senior party leader LK Advani, are expected to see him on Thursday, his 89th birthday. Advani and prime minister Narendra Modi have been visiting him on his birthday each year.

"Atalji means so much to everyone. A guide, inspiration and giant among giants. His contribution to India is invaluable," Modi tweeted.

Swaraj said he was happy about the award when she met Vajpayee, who suffered a stroke in 2009 and since has kept away from public life.

Finance minister Arun Jaitley said, "It is a proud day for us" describing him as a man who always realised the virtues of consensus and one of the greatest communicators India has seen.

A Rashtrapati Bhavan commnunique said on Wednesday morning that the former prime minister and educationist Madan Mohan Malaviya were chosen for the country's highest civilian award Bharat Ratna.

Advani had written to former prime minister Manmohan Singh in 2008 urging that among awards to be given to Indian citizens on Republic Day Vajpayee should be given the Bharat Ratna. The letter, released on Wednesday, had listed ten reasons why Vajpayee was eminently suited to receive the award. Singh had immediately acknowledged receipt of the letter.

In a blog, Jaitley said Vajpayee "never fell into temptation of committing an impropriety. He realised virtues of social harmony. His ability to rise above the party for a larger national cause was significant."

On the decision to confer the Bharat Ratna on Vajpayee and Malaviya, the BJP's parliamentary board passed a resolution saying "by this decision the govt has not only respected the desires of millions of Indians but also given expression to the sense of deep respect in the minds of all countrymen towards these two great national heroes. This is a fitting salutation to both Mahamana ji and Atal ji for their unique contribution and unflinching commitment to the cause of the people of India."

Sources close to Vajpayee say he always rated the award as something significant. Among those on whom the award was conferred during Vajpayee's tenure were Carnatic music vocalist MS Subbulakshmi, freedom fighter and Congress leader from Tamil Nadu C Subramaniam, economist Amartya Sen, singer Lata Mangeshkar and shehnai maestro Bismillah Khan.

The Modi government has decided to celebrate Vajpayee's birthday as "Good Governance Day".

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