PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday unveiled the 25-foot-tall statue of former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee at Lok Bhawan, Lucknow on his 95th birth anniversary.

 

 

 

Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath were also present at the Lok Bhawan for the event.

 

Born on December 25, 1924, in Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior, Vajpayee was the first-ever person from the BJP to become the Prime Minister. He served as Prime Minister thrice -- briefly in 1996, from 1998 to 1999 and then for a full five-year term between 1999 and 2004.

 

The veteran BJP leader passed away on August 16, 2018, at the THE ‘strategic’ Rohtang tunnel, christened as Atal Tunnel and connecting Manali to Leh will change the fortunes of the region and help promote tourism, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday.

 

Speaking at an event held to name the underground motor passage after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Modi said the project is very important for the country. “Rohtang Tunnel, connecting Manali in Himachal Pradesh to Leh in Ladakh, will now be known as Atal Tunnel. This strategic tunnel will change the fortunes of this region. It will help in promoting tourism in the region,” he said.

 

The historic decision to build the tunnel below the Rohtang Pass was taken in 2000 when Vajpayee was the Prime Minister.