HYDERABAD: The BJP Telangana unit paid homage to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his death anniversary. State president N. Ramchander Rao led the tribute by garlanding Vajpayee’s portrait at the BJP state headquarters on Saturday.Rao described Vajpayee as a visionary leader whose tenure marked India’s rise as an economic and strategic power. He credited Vajpayee’s government with landmark initiatives such as the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana and the Golden Quadrilateral project, which expanded India’s infrastructure.Rao also recalled Vajpayee’s resilient leadership after the Pokhran nuclear tests, when India faced international sanctions, and highlighted reforms in food grain supply and exports during his rule. Praising his journey from RSS pracharak to Prime Minister, Rao said the RSS had nurtured leaders like Vajpayee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Talking about state politics, Rao criticised the BRS and Congress governments for failing to deliver on housing promises for the poor. He alleged that Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy’s `22,500-crore housing scheme had made little progress as the houses were being diverted to party workers instead of needy families.Senior BJP leaders Marri Shashidhar Reddy, N.V. Subash and Dr Kasam Venkateswarlu attended the event. Earlier, Rao performed puja at the Iskon temple in Abids on Krishna Janmashtami. Goshamahal MLA T. Raja Singh also offered prayers at the temple and participated in Abhishekam rituals.Union minister G. Kishan Reddy, in a post on X, remembered Vajpayee as a mass leader committed to women’s empowerment and social equality, and reaffirmed the Modi government’s resolve to carry forward his vision.