Prini, a silent and sleepy village which came into global map due to former Prime Minister Atal Behari Valjpayee, on the outskirts of the world famous tourists resort Manali, wore a festive look on Thursday to celebrate his 90th birthday with great fervor and enthusiasm.
The villagers had a traditional worship by a local priest as it was an occasion of dual felicitations – birthday of Vajpayee and Bharat Ratna award for the most famous person of of Prini who used to spend a quality time here when he was the Prime Minister.The ineffable warmth amongst the large gathering assembled in the village, gripped in minus zero temperature, could be seen in the throbbings of hearts with love and adoration for the visionary leader. Praying for his recovery, many eyes in the gathering were moist to know that he was confined to bed.
The entire hill State is indebted to Vajpayee for his infinite love for Himachal Pradesh which the former Prime Minister cherished to lift out of the mire of backwardness and poverty and usher in a new era of prosperity. He had granted special economical package for Himachal Pradesh to ensure its swift and speedy development.The BJP leaders, including former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, lament that it was a dark day when the UPA Government-led by the Congress withdrew the special economic package immediately after coming to power.
Devoid of any sense of gratitude the leadership of the Congress in Himachal Pradesh did not dare even to submit a protest against gross injustice meted out to the state which was struggling hard for achieving economic viability.Dhumal bemoans that the meanest act of the Congress was removing the name of Vajpayee from free ambulances, free uniforms and other development works and institutions named after him to the great annoyance of the people of Himachal Pradesh. The pent up anger of the public against the Congress was demonstrated when the party in recent Parliamentary elections had to lick dust by facing a humiliating defeat in all the 68 assembly constituencies of the state. Even the wife of the chief minister was defeated, he said.