BJP to pay tribute to party's founding member Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his first death anniversary

New Delhi: Remembering party’s founder member and tallest leader, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) decided to pay tribute to former prime minister late Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his first death anniversary. Vajpayee, the BJP stalwart, died last year on 16 August. [caption id=“attachment_5032731” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Reuters[/caption] The decision has been taken by BJP president Amit Shah and has been communicated to the party’s working president JP Nadda. All this and much more on the membership drive was discussed at a meeting of the party’s general secretaries with Nadda at BJP headquarters. Sources in the party claimed that the top brass wants the death anniversary, as one where ’every member of BJP family’ would remember the tallest leader of the party. “For this, we will ask every leader, post holder and state unit to ensure tributes to be paid to Vajpayee ji in every district. Leaders need to ensure that it must be done keeping in mind the stature of the leader to whom we will pay tribute,” stated a senior leader of the party who claimed that many BJP cadres independently organizing tributes for the leader and this includes cultural evenings to remember Vajpayee. Meanwhile, the party top brass has some plans to celebrate this Independence Day as well. With nationalism being the flavour of the season, it has been decided that leaders would be asked to garland the statues of martyrs in their respective constituencies besides hoisting tricolour flag. Secondly, the party would ensure that the soldiers would not miss their sisters on the day as it also happens to be the festival of Rakshabandhan. “As we know the Rakhi is coinciding with Independence Day, we are planning to encourage girls to tie Rakhis on soldiers wrists. It would also inculcate a sense of belongingness despite being away from their homes. Rest of the programs will soon be decided and known,” informed the source.