A life-size portrait of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee will be installed in the Central Hall of Parliament on February 12.
The portrait will be unveiled by President Ram Nath Kovind in the presence of Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, ministers, and leaders of various parties, official sources said on Wednesday.
Renowned artist Krishn Kanhai of Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh has prepared the portrait of Vajpayee, who served as Prime Minister three times between 1996 and 2004.
The decision in this regard was taken unanimously on December 18, last year at a meeting of the parliament's portrait committee chaired by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan.
Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, Deputy Speaker and AIADMK leader M. Thambi Durai, BJD's Bhratruhari Mahtab, TMC's Sudip Bondopadhyay, TRS' Jithendra Reddy, Shiv Sena's Ananth Geete and BJP's Satyanarayan Jatia had attended the meeting.
Vajpayee, considered among India's tallest political leader, was the first Prime Minister from outside the Congress to serve a full five-year term between 1998 and 2004.
He is also a recipient of India's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, which was conferred on him in 2015.
Born on December 25, 1924 in Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, the BJP veteran passed away on August 16, 2018 after a prolonged illness.
(With inputs from agencies)
