Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday paid homage to BJP stalwart Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his death anniversary and said India greatly benefitted from his leadership.

He joined President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and many members of his Cabinet and leaders from different parties in a prayer meeting at 'Sadaiv Atal', the memorial of the former prime minister. In tributes to Vajpayee, Modi said he played a pivotal role in boosting India's progress and taking it to the 21st century in a wide range of sectors.

"I join the 140 crore people of India in paying homage to the remarkable Atal Ji on his Punya Tithi," he said. The first-ever prime minister from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Vajpayee is credited with popularising the party beyond its base and running a coalition government successfully for six years, during which he pushed reforms and boosted infrastructure. He died in 2018 at the age of 93.