President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi,Union Home Minister Amit Shah along with several other leaders paid tribute toformer prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Friday.

Remembering Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) founder memberand tallest leader, the leaders visited his memorial, Sadev Atal, at Rajghat inthe national capital. The BJP stalwart's daughter, Namita Kaul Bhattacharya,and granddaughter Niharika also paid tribute on his first death anniversary.

The decision was taken by Home Minister Amit Shah andcommunicated to the party`s working president JP Nadda. According to ANI, thetop brass wanted the death anniversary, as one where `every member of BJP family`would remember the tallest leader of the party. For this, we will ask everyleader, post holder and state unit to ensure tributes to be paid to Vajpayee jiin every district. Leaders need to ensure that it must be done keeping in mindthe stature of the leader to whom we will pay tribute," a senior leader ofthe party had claimed that many BJP cadres independently were organizingtributes for the leader and this included cultural evenings to rememberVajpayee.The iconic leader of the BJP died on August 16, 2018, at the age of93. His ashes were immersed on August 23 in Lucknow, which Vajpayee representedin the Lok Sabha for five consecutive terms. Vajpayee's ashes were brought toLucknow, with which the former PM had a special bond, by the then Union HomeMinister Rajnath Singh.

Vajpayee, who led the National Democratic Alliancegovernment from 1998-2004, was the first-ever leader from the BJP to havebecome the nation`s Prime Minister. He served as Prime Minister thrice --briefly in 1996, and then for two terms between 1998 and 2004. His birthday, whichfalls on December 25, is celebrated as `Good Governance Day` by the party. Hewas decorated with the Bharat Ratna in 2014.