Wishes overflowed for BJP veteran L.K. Advani on his 87th birthday Saturday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi describing him as "one of the tallest personalities in public life".
Modi, who was in Varanasi since Friday, drove down to Advani's Prithviraj Road residence soon after his return to Delhi Saturday.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh and other Bharatiya Janata Party leaders were also present.
Modi presented Advani with a floral bouquet, and both chatted for some time before the prime minister left.
Earlier, Modi also wished Advani on microblogging website Twitter.
"Wishing Advani ji a very happy birthday. May he be blessed with a long life and good health," tweeted Modi.
"His unparalleled intellect and insight make Advani ji one of the tallest personalities in public life. All of us have learnt a lot from him," he said.
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Modi added that Advani's determination and hard work has made the BJP what it was today.
Rajnath Singh also wished Advani on Twitter.
"Advani ji has been a source of inspiration to all of us and his contribution to building the party can never be forgotten," Rajnath Singh wrote.
Finance and Defence Minister Arun Jaitley said: "I pray for his good health and I wish him a long and happy life ahead."
BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said: "Advani ji has played a great role in giving direction not just to BJP, but to the politics of the country."
Other BJP leaders who wished Advani on Twitter included Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu, Railway Minister Sadananda Gowda, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
Birthday wishes for the BJP veteran also came from Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi and actor Anupam Kher.
"Happy Birthday Mr LK Advani. After the years of effort he made to ensure BJP's current position, would have liked to see him more active," Singhvi tweeted.
Anupam Kher called up the BJP leader on his birthday.
"Happy Birthday Advani Ji. It was a pleasure to wish him personally on the phone. Literally A Tall leader. Wishing him peace & long life," he tweeted.
Advani was born Nov 8, 1927 in Karachi, now in Pakistan.