Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday paid his tribute to former prime minister Morarji Desai on his birth anniversary.

“Salutations to former prime minister Morarji Bhai Desai on his birth anniversary. He always did politics based on discipline and principles, for which he will always be remembered,” the Prime Minister tweeted in Hindi.

Desai was born on February 29, 1896, in Bhadeli village, now in the Bulsar district of Gujarat to a school teacher father.

He was educated St Bursar High School and graduated from the Wilson Civil Service of the then Bombay Province in 1918. He served as a deputy collector for 12 years and resigned from government service to take part in India’s struggle for independence.

Desai was imprisoned thrice during the freedom struggle.

He served as the chief minister of Bombay in 1952 and joined the Union cabinet as the minister for commerce and industry on November 14, 1956. Later, he took the finance portfolio on March 22, 1958.

In 1967, Desai joined Indira Gandhi’s cabinet as the deputy prime minister and minister in charge of finance.

When the Congress Party split in 1969, Desai remained with the organisation Congress.

Desai was arrested and detained on June 26, 1975, when Emergency was declared and was kept in solitary confinement. He was released on January 18, 1977, a little before the decision to hold elections to the Lok Sabha was announced.

The Janata Party won in the general elections held in March 1977 for the sixth Lok Sabha. Desai was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Surat constituency in Gujarat.

He was later unanimously elected as the leader of the Janata Party in Parliament and sworn in as the Prime Minister on March 24, 1977.

Desai was India’s prime minister from March 24, 1977, till July 28, 1979.

He died on April 10, 1995.