The Governor asserted that atomic tests conducted at Pokhran during the tenure of Vajpayee as Prime Minister were his greatest contribution

VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan has paid rich tributes to former prime minister and Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his 97th Birth Anniversary, which is being observed as “Good Governance Day” all over the country.

Paying floral tributes to the portrait of Vajpayee at a program in Raj Bhavan on Saturday, he asserted that atomic tests conducted at Pokhran during the tenure of Vajpayee as Prime Minister were his greatest contribution. Not only was he unperturbed by threats held out by big powers; he went ahead and completed his task, declaring to the world that India has become an atomic power.

Harichandan said after atomic tests, India got recognition as not only the biggest democracy in the world, but also an atomic power. People can never forget Vajpayee’s contribution to the country, he underlined.

Harichandan stated that Vajpayee’s Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, connecting villages with good road networks, was to enable easy movement of villagers. The former PM also launched the Swarna Chatarbhuji (Golden Quadrilateral) Yojana connecting the four big cities of the country, which showed that the country is one.

The AP Governor declared that Vajpayee was a great leader, whose stature is incomparable. He was a great orator, poet and leader who fought for rights of the common man.