Amaravati/ Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday paid tributes to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his seventh death anniversary, and said he adhered to the philosophy of keeping the country first and worked towards it throughout his life. The Telugu society will never forget the help Vajpayee had extended for the development of Andhra Pradesh, he said.

"Former prime minister and Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee was a bold visionary who adhered to the philosophy of keeping the country first and worked towards it throughout his life," said Naidu in a post on 'X'. He hailed Vajpayee for his unique style of large-hearted politics.

A poet and statesman, Vajpayee was prime minister for over six years between 1998 and 2004 and is credited with pushing economic reforms that paved the way for a period of high growth. Telangana state unit of Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday, paid rich tribute to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his death anniversary. Vajpayee was a visionary leader who raised India as a global power, both economically and strategically, the party said.

After garlanding Vajpayee's portrait to mark his death anniversary at state BJP headquarters here, party president N Ramachander Rao said that the then Vajpayee's government at the Centre had developed landmark infrastructure projects like Pradhan mantri gram sadak yojana (rural roads infrastructure programme), Golden quadrilateral project (national highways) and so on which had resulted in country's progress. Despite international sanctions after the Pokhran nuclear test, the then BJP government headed by Vajpayee had faced the challenges by steering the nation forward without any compromise. Vajpayee's birthday is being celebrated annually as the "Good Governance Day" both by the government and the party, he noted.

Praising the RSS for nurturing leaders like Vajpayee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rao highlighted various welfare schemes like Valmiki-Ambedkar Awas Yojana, a housing program for the poor, and other national projects which had got benefited all sections of the society. On this occasion, he criticised the present Congress government and the previous BRS government for allegedly failing to fulfill their election promises. Vajpayee should be taken as a role model not only by the BJP workers, but leaders of all political parties for betterment of the nation, he added.

BJP state general secretary Kasam Venkateswarlu, state vice-president Chintala Ramachandra Reddy and several other state BJP leaders attended the event.