Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday paid tributes to former prime minister and BJP stalwart Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his birth anniversary.

Born in Gwalior in 1924, Vajpayee was the face of the BJP for decades and was the first non-Congress prime minister to have served a full term in office.

Modi tweeted, "Remembering Atal Ji on his Jayanti. We are inspired by his rich service to the nation. He devoted his life towards making India strong and developed. His development initiatives positively impacted millions of Indians."

"One of the tallest Indian leaders, Atalji was an eminent parliamentarian, able administrator, prolific writer, mesmerising orator and above all, a great human being," the Vice President Secretariat tweeted, quoting Venkaiah Naidu.

Vajpayee, the vice president said, brought systemic changes in governance to improve the lives of the people. He will always be remembered for strengthening democracy and ushering in a connectivity revolution in the country, Naidu added.

Vajpayee's birth anniversary is also observed as 'Good Governance Day' since 2014.

To mark the occasion, people should resolve to empower every Indian by ensuring good governance at all levels, Naidu said.

Union home minister Amit Shah, too, paid tribute to the veteran leader, as he greeted the country on Good Governance Day. “As Prime Minister, Atal Ji, through various visionary decisions, laid the foundation of a strong India. He also turned into reality, his vision of good governance in the country,” a rough translation of Shah's tweet, which was posted in Hindi, read.

Since 2014, when the Modi government first came to power, Atal Bihari Vajpayee's birth anniversary has been celebrated annually as Good Governance Day.

Defence minister Rajnath Singh also posted in memory of the stalwart, describing him as a ‘great nationalist,’ ‘eminent orator,’ ‘wonderful poet,’ ‘able administrator’ and a ‘remarkable reformist.’

He served as Prime Minister thrice -- briefly in 1996, and then for two terms between 1998 and 2004.

Vajpayee was also known for his oratory skills, which was on display when he defended the nuclear tests in Pokhran in 1998.

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

The Modi government is working on several public welfare schemes named after the former prime minister. The Union Cabinet has approved the Atal Bhujal Yojana, a Rs 6,000 crore scheme to improve groundwater management. The government also named a strategic tunnel under Rohtang Pass after him.

The late leader was conferred Bharat Ratna in 2015. He had also been awarded Pt Govind Ballabh Pant Award for Best Parliamentarian in 1994.

Sanjay Raut hails Vajpayee, says 'Sabka saath, sabka vikas' slogan suits him

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Saturday hailed former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, saying that he was the only leader after Jawaharlal Nehru who was appreciated by people across the country, and added that the 'Sabka saath, sabka vikas' slogan truly suits him.

Raut's statement was apparently targeted at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had assumed office in 2014 with the motto of 'Sabka saath, sabka vikas' (collective efforts, inclusive growth).

Speaking to reporters here, Raut said, "Atal Bihari Vajpayee played a pivotal role in cementing the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance. 'Sabka saath, sabka vikas' line truly suits him."

The Sena MP was responding to a question related to Vajpayee on the late BJP leader's birth anniversary.

"Vajpayee was the only second leader in India, who was appreciated across the country after Jawaharlal Nehru. May it be Nagaland or Puducherry, there were people who respected Vajpayee," he said.

Vajpayee and Lal Krishna Advani were the two major pillars of the BJP, who helped the party spread across the country, Raut said.