President, PM wish Vajpayee on his birthday

New Delhi, Dec 25 (IANS) President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several other leaders Thursday wished former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his 90th birthday.

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif also sent his wishes to the veteran Bharatiya Janata Party leader.

Greeting Vajpayee, Mukherjee said: “Warm greetings and good wishes to A.B. Vajpayee on his birthday. May the almighty bless him with happiness and good health.”

Modi and BJP president Amit Shah were among the leaders who visited Vajpayee at his residence in the capital.

Modi took to Twitter Thursday morning and said there was no bigger tribute to Vajpayee than celebrating his birthday as ‘Good Governance Day’.

“There is no bigger tribute to Atal-ji than celebrating his birthday as ‘Good Governance Day’ and pledging to devote ourselves to this cause,” Modi tweeted.

“Development and good governance are the only ways ahead. Together, let us make a positive impact in people’s lives and create a developed India,” said another tweet.

Sharif also wished the ailing leader and sent a bouquet of flowers.

The bouquet was delivered to Vajpayee’s residence by an official of the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi. Sharif was Vajpayee’s counterpart in Pakistan when the New Delhi-Lahore bus service was started in 1999.

Dec 25 is also the birthday of Sharif and Pakistan’s founding father Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley also wished Vajpayee “good health and longevity”.

“He is an inspirational force for good governance in India,” Jaitley tweeted.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said: “On the occasion of Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji’s birthday, I salute his fierce nationalism and contribution to a stronger and prosperous India.”

Vajpayee, along with late freedom fighter-educationist Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, was Wednesday named for India’s highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna. Both of them share their Dec 25 birthday.

Vajpayee, a veteran leader of the BJP as well as its forerunner Bharatiya Jana Sangh, served as prime minister first for 13 days in 1996 and then from 1998 to 2004.