Indian politician and poet Atal Bihari Vajpayee led the country’s 10th prime minister for three terms. He served in the Indian Parliament for more than fifty years. He was the Lucknow Member of Parliament till his health caused him to retire from active politics in 2009. Vajpayee was appointed as the Minister of External Affairs in Prime Minister Morarji Desai’s cabinet.
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Atal Bihari Vajpayee Biography
Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s Early Life
Vajpayee was born in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, on December 25, 1924, into a Kanyakubja Brahmin family. His father was Krishna Bihari Vajpayee, and his mother was Krishna Devi. Vajpayee completed his education at Gwalior’s Saraswati Shishu Mandir. After that, he attended Victoria College at Agra University in Gwalior, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Hindi, English, and Sanskrit. He obtained a Master of Arts in political science from DAV College, Kanpur, as his post-graduation degree.
Vajpayee’s Political Career
- Vajpayee was assigned as the party’s national secretary for the Northern area, with his headquarters in Delhi. Vajpayee stood for the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian Parliament, in the 1957 general election.
- Although he was elected from Balrampur, he was defeated in Mathura by Raja Mahendra Pratap. He was so affected by Jawaharlal Nehru that he adopted the quality, manner, and language of his speeches. Vajpayee’s leadership was likewise influenced by Nehru.
- Prime Minister Nehru was so glad by Vajpayee’s speech talents in the Lok Sabha that he predicted that Vajpayee would become India’s prime minister at some point in the future. He served our country as a prime minister thrice in 1996, 1998- 99 and 1999–2004.
During his tenure, he completed memorable work. Kargil War, Lahore summit, Nuclear tests, 2001 attack on Parliament, 2002 Gujarat violence and many more.
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Atal Bihari Vajpayee Working Policies
- Numerous domestic economic and infrastructure changes were implemented by the Vajpayee government, including privatising some government-owned businesses, promoting foreign and private investment, reducing government waste, and encouraging research and development.
- The National Highways Development Project and the Pradhan Mantri Gramme Sadak Yojana were two of Vajpayee’s initiatives.
- The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan programme was initiated by the Vajpayee government in 2001 to enhance the standard of education in elementary and secondary schools.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee Daughter
Atal Bihari Vajpayee never married and lived a single life. Namita Bhattacharya, the daughter of his lifelong friend Rajkumari Kaul and her husband B. N. Kaul, was adopted by him and reared as his child. He shared a home with his adopted family.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee Honours And awards
- 1993, D. Lit. from Kanpur University
- 1994, Lokmanya Tilak Award
- 1994, Outstanding Parliamentarian Award
- 1994, Bharat Ratna Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant Award
- According to a 2012 survey by Outlook magazine, Vajpayee was voted as the ninth greatest Indian.
- In August 2018, Naya Raipur was renamed as Atal Nagar.
- In honour of him, four Himalayan peaks close to Gangotri Glacier were given names in October 2018.
Vajpayee’s Numerous Poems and Prose Pieces
- Decisive Days 1999
- Sankalpakal 1999
- Vichar-Bindu ,Hindi Edition, 2000
- New Dimensions of India’s Foreign Policy 1979
- Gathbandhan Ki Rajniti
Poems
- Values, Vision & Verses of Vajpayee: India’s Man of Destiny 2001
- Twenty-One Poems 2003
- Chuni Hui Kavitaen 2012
- Qaidi Kaviraj Ki Kundaliyan
- Amar Aag Hai 1994
Atal Bihari Vajpayee Death Date
Vajpayee had a stroke in 2009 which impaired his speech. Due to a kidney illness, Vajpayee was critically ill when he was brought to AIIMS on June 11, 2018. There, on August 16, 2018, at 5:05 p.m., he was formally pronounced dead at the age of 93.
There are reports that he passed away the day before. After being covered in the Indian flag, Vajpayee’s body was brought to the Bharatiya Janata Party headquarters, where party members paid their respects till one o’clock in the afternoon. Vajpayee’s foster daughter Namita Kaul Bhattacharya lighted his pyre as he was cremated later that day at 4 pm at Rashtriya Smriti Sthal, which is close to Raj Ghat, with full state honours.
FAQs
A. Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the first non-Congress prime minister to complete a full 5 year term and the only non-Congress prime minister to date to have served on three occasions.
A. During this term, he launched initiatives such as the Golden Quadrilateral highway network, the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna, and Kisan credit cards, which continue to touch the lives of millions of Indians.
A. Droupadi Murmu
A. Atal Bihari Vajpayee served as Prime Minister of India twice:
First Term: May 16, 1996 – June 1, 1996 (13 days)
Second Term: March 19, 1998 – May 13, 2004 (6 years, 1 month, 25 days)
Third Term: May 13, 2004 – May 22, 2004 (9 days)
A. Atal Bihari Vajpayee served as Prime Minister of India three times.