Prime Minister Narendra Modi , senior central ministers and BJP leaders on Tuesday greeted party patriarch L K Advani on his 95th birthday here at his residence.
Modi presented a bouquet of red flowers to the BJP veteran who welcomed him and other senior party leaders in the lawn of his 30, Prithviraj Road residence, where he has been staying since 2002. Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh were seen smiling and exchanging notes with the party veteran who looked quite healthy and cheerful.
Born in 1927 in Karachi, now part of Pakistan, Advani joined the RSS at a young age and later worked for Jana Sangh where he made a mark with his organisational abilities.
He was a founding member of the BJP in 1980 and was its face along with former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for several decades. He held the post of Deputy Prime Minister during the Vajpayee government from June 29, 2002 to May 22, 2004 and that of Home Minister from 1998 to 2004.
He is also the BJP's longest serving president and the longest serving leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha. Advani was BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate in 2009 against the Congress nominee Dr Manmohan Singh.Tweeting a photo of himself with Advani at the latter’s residence, Modi said, “His contribution to India’s growth is monumental.
He is respected all across India for his vision and intellect. His role in building and strengthening the BJP is unparalleled. I pray for his long and healthy life.”
The Prime Minster was received by Advani’s son and daughter.
Home Minister Amit Shah said Advani, with his relentless efforts, strengthened the party organisation across the country and also made invaluable contribution to the country's development while being part of the government. Shah wished him good health and a long life.
Union minister Nitin Gadkari called Advani a source of inspiration. Rajnath Singh said Advani has made a very important contribution to the country, society and the party and is counted among the country's tallest personalities.
Paying rich tributes to the veteran who groomed a generation of young leaders, BJP president J P Nadda described him as a leading light of Indian politics and a guide to party leaders. His life dedicated to the nation and the party is a source of inspiration to them, he said.
A keen strategist, Advani's 'Rath Yatra' from Somnath, Gujarat to Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, in 1990 in support of building the Ram temple in Ayodhya at a site believed to be the birth place of Lord Ram activated a churning in the Indian politics and triggered the rise of the BJP which was restricted to only two Lok Sabha seats in 1984 to successive spell of power at the centre and thereafter, two successive majority Govt since 2014. .