Lucknow, Aug. 17 -- Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday said former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee elevated "flawless and selfless politics" in India, and for him the nation was always above party and power. Adityanath was speaking at a tribute event and literary evening at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Convention Centre to mark the eighth death anniversary of the former PM, a Bharat Ratna. "Leaders across party lines spoke of him in one voice with respect. For Atalji, 'Nation First' was not just a slogan. It was the foundation of his public life," he added. Adityanath also paid tribute to Vajpayee in an event organised at the former PM's statue at Lok Bhavan. He described him as a leader who was "as simple and humble in conduct as he was 'Atal' - firm and unshakable - in his resolve for the nation." The chief minister noted that Vajpayee first entered Parliament in 1957 from Balrampur, UP, and later represented Lucknow five times. "That is why his bond with Uttar Pradesh and Lucknow was special," he said. At the convention centre, the CM also released a booklet based on Vajpayee's thoughts. Recalling the 1999 Kargil War, he said the world witnessed Vajpayee's steely resolve. "When the US President repeatedly urged him to come to Washington for talks with Pakistan, Vajpayee replied: 'I will not leave India until even one enemy remains on Indian soil.' The whole world saw Pakistan pleading for mercy in Washington, tail between its legs," the CM remarked. He credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for abrogating Article 370 in Kashmir, calling it the fulfilment of the dream of both Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee and Vajpayee. He added that UP was honouring the former PM's legacy in a big way. The state's first medical university in Lucknow now bears his name. A medical college in Balrampur, his first political constituency, is being built on a war footing and admissions will begin from the new session. A grand memorial and museum have also come up at his ancestral village Bateshwar in Agra. He described the former PM's six-decade career as "blemish-free and controversy-free." During the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, he supported the campaign despite being in the Opposition. In the 1990s, when India faced an economic crisis, he was asked to represent the country globally as Leader of Opposition. "He said, 'On global forums, I will speak only for India's interest,' the chief minister recalled. Taking a swipe at the Opposition, he said, "Today when we see indecent remarks on Operation Sindoor and fingers being raised at our armed forces, it makes one doubt the Congress's commitment to the nation." Deputy CMs Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak, ministers Bhupendra Singh, Dara Singh Chauhan, Dayashankar Mishra 'Dayalu', Dayashankar Singh, Lucknow mayor Sushma Kharkwal, MPs Brij Lal, Amar Pal Maurya and noted poet Ashok Chakradhar and singer Malini Awasthi were present....