New Delhi [India], November 8 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the residence of veteran leader LK Advani to greet him on his birthday as he entered the 100th year of his life, while several political leaders, including former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, former President Ram Nath Kovind and Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, extended their wishes and recalled his contributions to the country's political journey.

In a post on X, Deve Gowda described Advani as a dear friend who had led a dedicated and eventful life, and wished him good health and happiness.

"My dear friend Shri LK Advani is becoming a centenarian. He has led a dedicated and eventful life. Here's a nonagenarian wishing him the best of health and happiness," he wrote.

http://x.com/H_D_Devegowda/status/2119332156212437444?s=20

Recalling their association, Deve Gowda said their relationship went back more than 50 years, to the time of the Emergency.

'Our relationship goes back over 50 years, from the time of the Emergency. Time flies," he wrote.

Former President Ram Nath Kovind also extended his birthday greetings to Advani, saying the nation reflected with respect on his long public life and contributions as he entered his 100th year.

"On the occasion of the birthday of Shri Lal Krishna Advani Ji, I extend my heartfelt greetings and best wishes to him. As he enters his 100th year of life, the nation reflects with respect on his long public life and contributions to our national life," Kovind said in his post on X.

https://x.com/ramnathkovind/status/2119408969714389431?s=20

Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said it was a happy coincidence that Advani was entering the 100th year of his life on his birthday. He also referred to an article written by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Advani's life journey, published in newspapers on Sunday.

"Today is Shri Advani ji's birthday, and it is a very happy coincidence that he is entering the 100th year of his life. India's Prime Minister, Shri @narendramodi ji, has written a deeply inspiring and moving article about his life journey in today's newspapers," he wrote on X.

https://x.com/rsprasad/status/2119360365821849636?s=20

Recalling Advani's journey from arriving in India after Partition to becoming an RSS pracharak, a Jana Sangh leader and BJP national president on several occasions, Prasad said he had strengthened the party's ideological foundations and helped build it into a nationwide organisation.

"After the horrors of Partition, he came to India, uprooted from his home, and went on to become an RSS pracharak, a Jana Sangh leader and the BJP's national president on several occasions. Throughout this journey, he strengthened and clarified the party's ideological foundations while building the organisation into a nationwide force," he said.

He said Advani took India's cultural nationalism to new heights through the Ayodhya movement and spoke of his role as Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister in safeguarding the country's security. Prasad also credited his efforts for the creation of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand.

"Through the Ayodhya movement, he took India's cultural nationalism to new heights and also exposed pseudo-secularism. As Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, he worked effectively to safeguard the country's security, and his efforts led to the creation of the states of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand," he said.

Prasad said he visited Advani on Sunday to wish him on his birthday and seek his blessings. Recalling the meeting, he said that when he introduced himself as Ravishankar, a faint smile appeared on Advani's face.

"Today, I went to meet him, wish him a happy birthday and seek his blessings. When I told him my name, saying that I was Ravishankar, a faint smile appeared on his face even at this age," Prasad wrote. 

As veteran BJP leader LK Advani enters his 100th year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday penned a heartfelt article on his 'everlasting contribution to India', recalling Partition, the Emergency, Rath Yatra and his role in building the BJP.

Sharing the article on X, PM Modi wrote that as a youngster in 1947, Advani experienced the pain of leaving behind his world in Sindh, yet rebuilt his life 'without bitterness.' That trait, he said, defined Advani's work in strengthening the Jana Sangh and building the BJP. The article was published in various national dailies as well.

'His tenures as BJP President saw the Congress falling sharply from 400 to below 200 in 1989 and the BJP becoming the single largest party for the first time in 1996. Advani Ji nurtured generations of Karyakartas and gave the Party a clear foundation rooted in the principle of Nation First,' wrote the PM. (ANI)