Centre celebrates Atal Bihari Vajpayee's birthday as 'Good Governance Day', Modi to visit Varanasi

New Delhi: The Narendra Modi government on Thursday will celebrate the 90th birthday of Bharatiya Janata Party veteran and former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee as Good Governance Day. President Pranab Mukherjee announced Bharat Ratna for Vajpayee and educationist Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in his Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi where he will attend a number of programmes on the occasion of Vajpayee's birthday. "There is no bigger tribute to Atal ji than celebrating his birthday as 'Good Governance Day' and pledging to devote ourselves to this cause," Modi tweeted.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh and senior BJP leader LK Advani will release a book titled 'Hamare Atal ji'. The party has made elaborate arrangements to celebrate Vajpayee's birthday.

"Atalji's birthday will be celebrated as Sushshan Diwas. In the morning between 8 AM to 9 AM party workers, MPs, MLAs and senior leaders will participate in Swachhta Abhiyaan (cleanliness campaign) throughout Uttar Pradesh," BJP spokesman Vijay Bahadur Pathak said.

He said that in the evening seminars would be organised on good governance.

BJP President Laxmi Kant Bajpai. Rajnath Singh will be in Lucknow, while Union Minister Kalraj Mishra will visit Deoria.

According to Pathak, 90 diyas will be lighted at the BJP state office in Lucknow in the evening to mark the 90th birthday of the former prime minister.

(With additional information from PTI) ####

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