¨     Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Rashtra Prerna Sthal in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh on December 25, 2025, to honor the life and ideals of former Prime Minister Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee. PM Modi visited Lucknow on the occasion of Atal Bihari Vajpayee's 101st birth anniversary.

¨     The Rashtra Prerna Sthal has been developed as a historic national monument and an inspirational complex of lasting national significance.

Rashtra Prerna

¨     Built at a cost of approximately ₹230 crore and spread over a vast area of 65 acres, this campus is envisioned as a permanent national asset dedicated to promoting leadership values, national service, cultural consciousness and public inspiration.

¨     The campus features 65-feet-tall bronze statues of Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, symbolising their significant contributions to India’s political thought, nation-building and public life.

¨     It also includes a state-of-the-art museum spread over approximately 98 thousand square feet, designed in the form of a lotus-shaped structure.

¨     This museum showcases India’s national journey and the contributions of these visionary leaders through advanced digital and immersive technology, providing visitors with an engaging and educational experience.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee

¨     He was born on 25 December, 1924 in the then Gwalior princely state (now part of Madhya Pradesh).

¨     He entered national politics during the Quit India Movement of 1942, which accelerated the end of British colonial rule.

¨     In 1947, Vajpayee began working as a journalist for Deendayal Upadhyaya’s newspapers – Rashtradharm (a Hindi monthly), Panchjanya (a Hindi weekly), and dailies such as Swadesh and Veer Arjun.

¨     Later, influenced by Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, he joined the Bharatiya Jana Sangh in 1951. He was elected twice as the Prime Minister of India in 1996 and 1999.

¨     As a Member of Parliament, Vajpayee was honoured with the Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant Award for Best Parliamentarian in 1994, which defined him as an “ideal for all lawmakers”.

¨     In 1994, he was awarded the country’s second-highest civilian honour, the Padma Vibhushan, and in 2015, the country’s highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna.

¨     He passed away on 16 August, 2018.