New Delhi: BJP celebrated party stalwart Atal Behari Vajpayee`s birthday with much fanfare as the former Prime Minister turned 89 on Wednesday and launched several initiatives to mark the occasion.
The party launched a signature campaign for Vajpayee`s long life and good health while the BJP youth wing unveiled a literacy initiative which saw study kits being distributed amongst under-privileged children.
Inaugurating the campaign at the party headquarters here, BJP President Rajnath Singh eulogised Vajpayee and wished the ailing former PM a speedy recovery. Party leaders also remembered Vajpayee`s leadership qualities and recounted the initiatives taken by him during the NDA regime.
Others present on the occasion included party general secretary (organisation) Ram Lal and general secretary JP Nadda along with spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain and secretary Anil Jain.
The BJP youth wing Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha also launched a nationwide literacy campaign, `School Chalein Hum`, by distributing study kits.
Kicking off the above drive, BJYM president Anurag Thakur presented sweets and learning kits to a number of under- privileged children in the slums of Tughlak camp and Noida.
During his tenure as PM, Vajpayee had launched the `Sarv Shiksha Abhiyaan`, which was the world`s biggest literacy programme with an emphasis on the need for compulsory primary education, Thakur said.
"It is sad to note that the world`s largest democracy still has the maximum illiterate population," he said, adding that the BJYM initiative would cover 1,000 destinations across the country.
During his tenure as PM, Vajpayee had launched the `Sarv Shiksha Abhiyaan`, which was the world`s biggest literacy programme with an emphasis on the need for compulsory primary education, Thakur said.
"It is sad to note that the world`s largest democracy still has the maximum illiterate population," he said, adding that the BJYM initiative would cover 1,000 destinations across the country.
