SHIMLA: A statue of Atal Bihari Vajpayee will be built in the picturesque town of Manali in Himachal Pradesh which the former prime minister considered his second home.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Friday laid the foundation stone of the statue of the BJP stalwart on his first death anniversary.
Addressing the 'Atal Smiriti-2019' function held in Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports in Manali through video conference, the CM said that Vajpayee provided a dynamic leadership to the nation and was always regarded as a world leader.
Thakur said Vajpayee introduced Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna and national highways development project that proved a boon for the country especially for the people of Himachal Pradesh as thousands of villages were connected with roads under this scheme.
Vajpayee had special connection with the people of Himachal and never missed any opportunity to visit the state, Thakur added.
The small house that he built at Prini village in Kullu district in the 90s keeps his memories alive, the CM said.
Transport and Forest Minister Govind Thakur, MP Ram Swaroop Sharma and MLA Surinder Shourie were present in Manali on the occasion.
Earlier, Thakur visited state BJP headquarters at Shimla and paid floral tributes to Vajpayee.
Thakur said the biggest gift of Vajpayee to Himachal Pradesh, especially for the people of tribal district of Lahaul-Spiti, is the multi-crore Rohtang tunnel project that he pushed hard for round the year connectivity to the Lahaul Valley.