In the death of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, India has lost the rarest of rare statesmen it has ever produced, though there are not many in the lot. Starting his political career at the age of 18, he won his first election to the Indian Parliament in 1957 under Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the progenitor of later Jan Sangh and present-day Bharatiya Janata Party. He also holds the distinction of being the first non-Congress Prime Minister to complete a five-year term in the office. He quit active politics after his party failed to win the 2005 parliamentary elections despite the India Shining campaign.

 “His captivating leadership qualities, mesmerising oratory, soaring patriotism and above all, his sterling humane qualities like compassion, humility and his remarkable ability to win over adversaries despite ideological differences have all had a profound effect on me in all my years in public life,” his longtime associate LK Advani said soon after Vajpayee’s death. Vajpayee also holds the rare distinction of the shortest reigning prime minister when in 1996, he could not muster enough majority and resigned after a 13-day stint in the South Block.

Known for his love for poetry, Vajpayee had an eventful stint as PM, defined by the 1998 Pokhran nuclear tests, the Kargil war and his bid for peace with Pakistan. A moderate in the BJP, he was sometimes referred to as the mukhota or mask that covered the BJP’s Hindu nationalist politics. Born on December 25, 1924, in Gwalior, Vajpayee was elected 10 times to the Lok Sabha from four different States (the first time in 1957 from Balrampur in Uttar Pradesh), and was twice a Member of the Rajya Sabha. Vajpayee was also called “ajaata shatru” (man without enemy as he was one of the fine specimens of “adarsh purush” (ideal man). He was also one of those rare personalities who was held in high esteem by world leaders. His only failure was to bring a solution to the Kashmir problem which he wanted to solve with “Kashmiriyat and insaaniyat.”

 

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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