Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday released a book ‘Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Parliament: A Commemorative Volume’ to mark the 96th birth anniversary of the former prime minister. The book was released at a function in the Central Hall of Parliament. The book, published by the Lok Sabha Secretariat, highlights the life and works of the former Prime Minister and contains his notable speeches delivered in Parliament. The book also contains some rare photographs from his public life.
Soon after the book release, as the prime minister was about to leave the venue, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) members Sanjay Singh and Bhagwant Mann raised slogans demanding repeal of the three new central farm laws. Modi was speaking with Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad and leader of Congress party in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury at that moment. Besides Azad and Chowdhury, Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav and LJP’s Chirag Paswan were among other lawmakers present at the event.Vajpayee, elected 10 times to the Lok Sabha and twice to the Rajya Sabha, was a parliamentarian par excellence, who had the trust, affection and belief of the people in his leadership.As a parliamentarian and particularly as Prime Minister, Vajpayee made innumerable important contributions which paved the way for a stronger economy through bold reforms and rapid development of infrastructure that gave India the Golden Quadrilateral, a mega project connecting the country through world-class express highways. Vajpayee also distinguished himself as a fine statesman and a world leader.For exceptional service to the nation and performance of the highest order, Vajpayee was conferred with the nation’s highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna, in 2015. Before this he was also the recipient of the nation’s second-highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan, in 1992.As a parliamentarian, Vajpayee was awarded with the Pt. Govind Ballabh Pant Award for Best Parliamentarian in 1994, which defines him as “a role model par excellence for all legislators.” Born on December 25, 1924 in Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior, Vajpayee took his last breath during treatment at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here on August 16, 2018.