Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday released a commemorative coin in honour of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, BJP President Amit Shah and BJP veteran L.K. Advani among other Cabinet ministers and dignitaries were present at the event.
Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said, “our minds are not ready to believe that Atal Bihari Vajpayee is no longer with us.”
He was a stalwart loved and respected across all sections of society, he added.
He said that over decades, Vajpayee’s voice remained the voice of the people. As a speaker, he was unparalleled. He is among the best orators our nation has produced.
“The party which Vajpayee built has become among the largest political parties. Generations of Karyakartas were fortunate to be mentored by him. As a speaker, he was unparalleled,” Modi said.
The Prime Minister further said, “For some people, power is oxygen…they can’t live without it. A long part of Atal’s career was spent in the opposition benches but he spoke about national interest and never compromised on the ideology of the party.”
“Atal Bihari Vajpayee wanted democracy to be supreme. He built the Jana Sangh but when the time came to rescue our democracy he and others went to Janata Party. Likewise, when the choice was between remaining in power or comprising on ideology, he left Janata Party and formed the BJP,” the Prime Minister said.
The 100-rupee coin with the image of the former Prime Minister has his name written in both Hindi and English. The coin weighs 35 grams and has the years 1924 and 2018 inscribed to mark the years of Vajpayee’s birth and death.
On the flipside, the coin has the National Emblem with “Satyameva Jayate” inscribed below.
