PM Narendra Modi to offer tribute to Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Paying rich tributes to late prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on the even of his 94th birth anniversary, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday released a commemorative coin of Rs 100.

"The mind is not ready to believe that Atal Ji is no longer with us. He was a stalwart loved and respected across all sections of society. As a speaker, he was unparalleled. He is among the best orators our nation has produced," said PM Modi.

He described Vajpayee, who died in August this year, as a stalwart that made the BJP largest among the political parties and would be always remembered by its karyakartas.

"For some people, power is oxygen, they can't live without it. A long part of Atal ji's career was spent in the opposition benches but he spoke about national interest and never compromised on the ideology of the party," PM Modi said.

The commemorative coin features the Emblem of India on the front with the words Satyamev Jayate inscribed below in Devanagari script. Also inscribed on the coin are the words 'Bharat' in Devanagari and 'India' in Roman script.

The reverse side of the coin features a portrait of Vajpayee and his name inscribed in both Devanagari and Roman. The years 1924 and 2018 are inscribed below Vajpayee's portrait to mark the year of his birth and death respectively.

On Tuesday, December 25, PM Modi will inaugurate the country's longest rail-road Bogibeel Bridge, which will benefit the people of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, on river Brahmaputra in Assam.

The foundation stone of this bridge was laid down by Vajpayee in 2002.