Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a Rs 100 commemorative coin in the memory of former premier Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Monday to mark the latter's 94th birth anniversary. The coin was released in the presence of senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders LK Advani, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and BJP president Amit Shah. 

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Speaking at the event, PM Modi said that he would go to Vajpayee's memorial on Tuesday to reiterate his commitment to the ideology and path shown by the statesman. 

"Atal Ji wanted democracy to be supreme. He built the Jana Sangh. But, when the time came to rescue our democracy he and others went to Janata Party. Likewise, when the choice was between remaining in power or comprising on ideology, he left Janata Party and formed the BJP," the prime minister said. 

He added that while for some power is oxygen and they cannot live without it, Vajpayee spent a long part of his career in the opposition benches raising issues of national interest. He said, the party, which "Atalji built brick by brick" has become among the largest political parties. 

PM Modi also praised Vajpayee's abilities as a speaker. "When he spoke, the nation spoke... When he spoke the nation listened," he said.

Here are the features of the coin:

1. The coin has a portrait of Vajpayee with his name inscribed in the Devanagari script as well as English.

2. At the bottom of the image, former prime minister's birth and death years are inscribed: 1924 and 2018.

3. The weight of the coin is 135 grams and it will bear the Ashoka Pillar Lion Capital in the centre with ‘Satyameva Jayate’ inscribed below in the Devanagari script on the other side.

4. The coin is made up of silver (50 per cent), copper (40 per cent), nickel (5 percent) and zinc (5 percent).

Atal Bihari Vajpayee had passed away earlier this year at the AIIMS in the national capital in August at the age of 93 following prolonged illness.