India, Dec. 26 -- Union Home Minister Amit Shah paid tributes to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his birth anniversary on Thursday, saying that he provided Indian politics with a political alternative that prioritised national interest and cultural nationalism.

In a social media message, Shah said the NDA government led by BJP founder and Bharat Ratna awardee Vajpayee presented the country with a governance model that advanced both heritage and science simultaneously.

The minister said, "With the founding of the BJP, Atal ji provided Indian politics with a political alternative that prioritised national interest and cultural nationalism.

"Whether it was making India a nuclear power or realising good governance, under his ...