Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday met veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader LK Advani at his residence here and wished him on his 91st birthday.
Top BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah, Thursday greeted party veteran L K Advani on his 91st birthday, recalling his contribution to national politics, and also in building the party and propagating its ideology.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday met veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader LK Advani at his residence here and wished him on his 91st birthday.
Besides the Prime Minister, Congress president Rahul Gandhi also wished Advani on birthday.
"Happy Birthday to LK Advani. I wish him good health, long life, and happiness of the mind," Gandhi wrote on Facebook.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh also wished the BJP leader. "Wishing one of the stalwarts of Indian politics, Shri Lal Krishna Advaniji a warm and happy birthday. He has nurtured the @BJP4India from its inception. Advaniji is an inspiration to millions of party karyakartas. May he be blessed with good health and a long life," Singh said on Twitter.
"Heartiest birthday greetings to LK Advani Ji. AdvaniJi, I respectfully wish you good health and happiness," wrote West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Twitter.
The party veteran's impact on Indian politics is immense, the prime minister said.
"Advani ji's contribution towards India's development is monumental. His ministerial tenures are applauded for futuristic decision making and people-friendly policies. His wisdom is admired across the political spectrum," Modi wrote on Twitter.
He credited Advani, the longest serving party president and also deputy prime minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, for "selflessly and diligently" building the BJP and "wonderfully" mentoring its workers.
In his tweets, Shah said Advani strengthened the BJP's organisation and inspired its workers while also infusing discipline into them with his lifelong hard work.
"In taking our ideology to the masses from the Jana Sangh to the BJP and in setting India on the path to progress as a skilled politician in Parliament, Advani ji's contribution to Indian politics is unparalleled," he said.
Jana Sangh, founded in 1951, was the precursor to the Bharatiya Janata Party, which was launched in 1980.
Home Minister and former BJP president Rajnath Singh described Advani as a stalwart of Indian politics.
"He has nurtured the BJP from its inception. Advani ji is an inspiration to millions of party karyakartas (workers). May he be blessed with a good health and long life," Singh said.
Credited for crafting the BJP's rise to a pre-eminent position in late 80s and 90s after it had hit a low of two Lok Sabha seats in 1984 Lok Sabha polls, Advani has been sidelined from the party's affairs and was made a member of 'margdarshak mandal' (group of mentors) in 2014 after it came to power.
The group has, incidentally, never met since its inception.
Born on November 8, 1927 in Karachi, he was also the Minister of Home Affairs in the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government from 1998 to 2004.
Advani also served as the Deputy Prime Minister under Atal Bihari Vajpayee from 2002 to 2004.
He is one of the co-founders and a senior leader of the BJP.
He began his political career as a volunteer of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). In 2015, Advani was awarded the Padma Vibhushan - India's second highest civilian honour
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