August 16, 2021: Assam Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday paid his tributes to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his death anniversary.

“A towering statesman, an erudite parliamentarian, a gifted poet and an orator par excellence, Swargiya Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ji was one of India’s finest Prime Ministers who ushered in a new era of development,” CM said in a tweet.

Minister Bimal Borah also took to Twitter and said, “Tributes to the people's leader, statesman, poet, ideologue and former Prime Minister of India, Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ji on his Punyatithi. His ideals & vision are our guiding beacons and inspire us to dedicatedly serve the people.”

One of the prominent leaders of the country and founding member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Vajpayee died on August 16, 2018, at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) after a prolonged illness. He was 93.

Vajpayee served as Prime Minister thrice — briefly in 1996, and then for two terms between 1998 and 2004. His birthday, which falls on December 25, is celebrated as ‘Good Governance Day’. He was awarded Bharat Ratna in 2014.