“Governments will come and leave, parties will be formed and demolished, but this country should remain” – Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee the Prime Minister of India was born on December 25, 1924, in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh. Vajpayee was a prominent BJP leader and Prime Minister of India for two consecutive terms.
Journey of Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Atal Ji was born into a Hindu Brahmin family in the princely state of Gwalior. His father was a teacher in their hometown. He completed his basic education at a local school in Gwalior and did his further studies at Agra University. Atal Ji completed his master’s in political science from DAV College, Kanpur, Agra University.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s political career
Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s political career spans over four decades. His interest in politics began to nurture during his student days, as he became a part of the Quit India Movement in 1942.
In college, he developed an interest in foreign affairs, which later became a useful skill for his political career. Atal Ji started his journey as a journalist. However, this journey was cut short in 1951 as he joined Bharatiya Jana Sangh after joining RSS.
In 1957, Vajpayee Ji took part in the Indian general election as a contestant for the Lok Sabha. He won in Balrampur. In the Lower House of the Parliament, his oratorical skills made him set apart in the house.
The then Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, even predicted Vajpayee would become Prime Minister of India one day.
Atal Vihari Vajpayee was a member of the Indian Parliament for five decades. He was elected as an MP ten times in Lok Sabha and two times in Rajya Sabha.
In 1997 he became the Minister of External Affairs of India. However, in 1979 he resigned, leading to the collapse of the Janata alliance. In 1980 Atal Bihari Vajpayee became the first president of the newly formed BJP.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s terms as Prime minister of India
Atal Bihari Vajpayee changed the nation by altering the dominance of Congress over the nation. He was the first Prime minister not belonging to the Indian National Congress who served a full term in office.
His first term began in May 1996, but due to a lack of support to form a government had to resign after 16 days.
His second term began in 1998 and finished in 1999. As the government did not have enough votes, the Lok Sabha dissolved due to confidence of motion.
But during this short tenure he flourished India as the Nuclear power in front of the world. On 11th May, 1998, Atal Ji called a press conference to announce that India has conducted 3 successful underground nuclear tests in Pokhran.
Awards and honours presented to Atal Bihari Vajpayee
In 2015, Vajpayee Ji was honoured with the highest civilian award of the nation, Bharat Ratna. In 1992 he was also presented with Padma Vibhushan award.
His legacy is till celebrated, in 2014, Narendra Modi declared Mr. Vajpayee’s birthday as Good Governance Day. The world’s longest tunnel, Atal Tunnel located at Himachal Pradesh is also named after Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Published work of Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Besides being a great leader, Vajpayee Ji was a poet too. He has written many prose and poetry. Some of his famous published works include:
- National Integration
- New Dimensions of India’s Foreign Policy
- Gathbandhan Ki Rajneeti
- Kucha Lekha, Kucha Bhushan
- Bindu-Bindu Vicara
- Decisive Days
- Amar Aag Hai
- Kya Khoya Kya Paya
- Values, Vision & Verses of Vajpayee: India’s Man of Destiny
- Twenty-One Poems
Death of Atal Bihari Vajpayee
In 2009 while giving a speech, Atal Ji suffered a stroke. His health started to deteriorate. According to the reports, Vajpayee Ji, in his last years, started using a wheelchair and could not recognize people. He suffered from dementia and a long-term illness of diabetes. He left politics for good and was seen outside only during his health checkups at All India Institutes of Medical Sciences.
On June 11, 20018, Vajpayee Ji was taken to the hospital due to his critical condition. On August 16, 2018, Atal Ji was declared dead. Thousand people attended the funeral, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former President Ram Nath Govind. Leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpayee are born once in centuries.
PrTechNews pays homage and tribute by dedicating this post to his legacy.
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