Vajpayee turns 86
It was flowers and prayers all the way for BJP patriarch Atal Bihari Vajpayee who turned 86 on Friday. The former prime minister , who is confined to his wheel-chair, recognised many and greeted them by their name, including Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, who came calling him in the morning.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh turned up at the residence of the BJP veteran to wish him “a happy birthday.”
BJP Parliamentary wing chairman L K Advani, 82, was there to greet his senior. The newly appointed BJP President Nitin Gadkari, 52, attended a blood donation camp organised on the occasion at the party headquarters.
Earlier in the day, former BJP president Rajnath Singh and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley greeted him. Vajpayee’s close aide and former National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra was also by his side. Former Union minister and Rajya Sabha MP Arun Shourie was the first senior leader to reach Vajpayee’s residence.
Rajesh Gehlot, a fan of Vajpayee, came with a 186-foot- long roll of 160 posters to greet the BJP leader.
The Karnataka chief minister went to Vajpayee with a bouquet along with other state leaders, including Ramchandra Gowda, Shankar Murthy and Dhananjay Kumar.
Many of his fans remembered lines from his famous poem: “Haar nahin manooga, raar nahin thanooga, Kaal ke kapal per likhta-mitata hoon , Geet naya gata hoon.”
DH News Service
