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.