Vajpayee was born on this day in 1924.

Modi in a minute-long video message in Hindi said the words of Vajpayee were powerful, but his silence had even more power. "He had an amazing power of knowing when he should turn mute and when he should say," Modi said.

देशवासियों के दिलों में बसे पूर्व प्रधानमंत्री भारत रत्न अटल बिहारी वाजपेयी जी को उनकी जन्म-जयंती पर कोटि-कोटि नमन। pic.twitter.com/9tCkmEUxnf

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 25, 2019

Shah said Vajpayee left an indelible mark in Indian politics with his "nationalistic thinking, impeccable image and dedicated life to the nation".

"The life of Atalji was based on ideology and principles. There was no fascination of power in his life. Under his leadership, the country saw good governance happening," Shah tweeted in Hindi.

पूर्व प्रधानमंत्री अटल बिहारी वाजपेयी जी ने अपनी राष्ट्रवादी सोच, बेदाग छवि और राष्ट्र समर्पित जीवन से भारतीय राजनीति में एक अमिट छाप छोड़ी। विचारधारा और सिद्धांतों पर आधारित अटल जी के जीवन में सत्ता का तनिक मात्र मोह नहीं रहा।उनके नेतृत्व में देश ने सुशासन को चरितार्थ होते देखा। pic.twitter.com/BXO4S6kUMB

— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) December 25, 2019