Former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee | Photo: PTI Former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee | Photo: PTI December 25 marks the birth anniversary of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, one of India’s most revered political leaders. The three-time prime minister played a pivotal role in shaping India’s future. The former PM's birth anniversary is is being observed as Good Governance Day as a tribute to the positive impact of his leadership on the countrylodibet, which was noted by PM Modi in a letter to the BJP leader.
When Vajpayee became the Prime Minister, he was mocked as a "mere mukhauta" (mask) of the BJP who presented the softer face of the Hindu right wing but the real face was entirely different. By the end of his three terms, he was hailed for his "inclusive and middle-of-the-road approach". People called him a statesman and a visionary.
During his tenure as the prime minister, he introduced several initiatives to ensure good governance that later played crucial role in the transformation of Indian economy.
As the country marks his 100th birth anniversary, here's a look at his journey as a stalwart of Indian politics.
100 Years Of Vajpayee: A TimelineOn 25 December 1924, Vajpayee was born in Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior to Krishna Bihari Vajpayee and Krishna Devi.
He attended Saraswati Shishu Mandir school and AVM School in Ujjain before compoleting his graduation from Victoria College (Laxmi Bai College) in Gwalior. Later, Vajpayee pursued an MA in Political Science at DAV College in Kanpur.
Vajpayee also commenced studying law but was forced to discontinue owing to the 1947 Partition riots.
Vajpayee initially considered a career in journalism and worked as an editor for Hindi magazines like Rashtradharma, Panchjanya and newspapers like Swadesh and Veer Arjun.
From Quit India Movement To Pokhran - A Lookback At Vajpayee's Political CareerVajpayee's decorated political career began early during the Quit India Movement in 1942. He rose to prominence in 1957 when he first became a BJP MP with his election to Lok Sabha to represent the constituency of Balrampur.
Later as well, he was elected to the Lok Sabha multiple times—during the 5th, 6th, and 7th Lok Sabha and later in the 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th Lok Sabha. He also held the record of being the only parliamentarian to win six Lok Sabha constituencies from four different states incuding Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi.
Vajpayee served as the national secretary for the party and was in-charge of the northern region. Besides this, he also served as a member of the Rajya Sabha in 1962 and 1986. He represented Parliament from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, for five consecutive terms until 2009.
Following the death of Deendayal Upadhyaya in 1968, Vajpayee became the president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
In 1996, Vajpayee became the 10th Prime Minister of India. Vajpayee's maiden term lasted only 13 days as the BJP failed to prove a majority in the Lok Sabha. Vajpayee's first term also came with the background of the Babri Masjid demolition in Ayodhya.
Despite being a key figure in the BJP-RSS circles, Vajpayee stated that the demolition was a "regrettable event and should not have happened in the first place".
In 1998, Vajpayee began his second term with the formation of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Despite the formation of alliance, the second Vajpayee-led government lasted only for 13 months.
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His only five-year-term began in 1999 and lasted till 2004.During this, India witnessed several key events that would shape the political landscape of the nation.
Under his leadership, India successfully tested nuclear weapons at Rajasthan's Pokhran in 1998 which turned the nation into a nuclear power.Moreover, in a move to strengthen the Indo-Pakistan bilateral ties, the PM embarked on a bus trip to the neighbouring country in 1999.
However, later that year, the two neighbours found themselves in the midst of the Kargil War, but under Vajpayee's leadership, India defended its borders successfully and emerged victorious.
Vajpayee was also in office during the 2002 Gujarat Riots, during which Narendra Modi was the state chief minister.After the Godhra riots, reports suggest that Vajpayee was all set to fire Modi from the CM post, but withheld the decision after Home Minister and BJP stalwart LK Advani threatened to resign.
A Revered PoliticianIn his lifetime, the revered politician and visionary received several important awards for his political contributions.
In 1992, he received the Padma Vibhushan, one of India’s highest awards.
game of thrones slots casinoIn 1994, he won the Lokmanya Tilak Puruskar and the Bharat Ratna Pt. Govind Ballabh Pant Award for being the best parliamentarian.
He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in 1993 by Kanpur University.
In 2015lodibet, he was honoured with the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award, for his outstanding service to the country.
