Top leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and National Democratic Alliance (NDA), including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari and others reached Sadaiv Atal to pay their tribute to former Prime Minister and BJP stalwart Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his fifth death anniversary on Wednesday.
NCP (Ajit Pawar) leader Praful Patel, AIADMK leader M Thambidurai, Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) chief Jitan Ram Manjhi, Apna Dal (Sonelal) leader Anupriya Patel, All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) chief Sudesh Mahto, National People's Party (NPP) leader Agatha Sangma and Tamil Maanila Congress chief GK Vasan were top NDA allies who were present at the Sadaiv Atal.
The flock of the NDA leaders at Sadaiv Atal also displayed their unity. This was the second apparent show of strength after the NDA meeting on July 18 in New Delhi. The show of unity comes days ahead of I.N.D.I.A bloc's second meeting to be held on August 31 in Mumbai.
Earlier, President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla also paid floral tribute to Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his death anniversary at Sadaiv Atal memorial in New Delhi on Wednesday.
Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal-United leader Nitish Kumar also reached Sadaiv Atal and paid floral tributes to the BJP icon. He was the Cabinet minister during the successive NDA governments led by Vajpayee in 1998 and 1999.