India

Remembering Atal Bihari Vajpayee: What today’s leaders can learn from him

Updated : December 25, 2020 08:49 PM IST

BJP stalwart and three-time Prime Minister late Atal Bihari Vajpayee is fondly remembered as an excellent orator, a humane politician and an able leader.

Vajpayee, known for his nationalist approach, was an active member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He was also one of the founding members of Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the political arm of RSS.

He held the post of the Prime Minister for three terms in 1996, 1998-99, and from 1999-2004. In his first term in 1996, government was brought down in just 13 days after losing majority.

He also penned down a number of poems in Hindi.

Vajpayee, who passed away following age-related ailments on August 16, 2018, took some firm decisions during his first two terms as the Prime Minister.

Some memorable moments and significant achievements:

Pokhran Tests and Kargil War

Pokhran nuclear tests and Kargil War in the late 1990s, under the leadership of Atal Bihar Vajpayee, created a strong image of India in the world.

The government felt that a nuclear test was important for India in order to be taken seriously by the world.

In May 1988, a series of five nuclear tests were conducted in Rajasthan’s Pokhran – three on May 11 and two on May 13.

With this, India became the sixth country to join the nuclear club. Vajpayee faced the global condemnation wearing national security on his sleeves. His calculated decisions led to some significant strategic achievements by the country.

The Kargil war was fought between May and July 1999 along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Kargil district of Jammu and Kashmir. The Army launched Operation Vijay to evict Pakistani intruders on the Indian side of the LoC. Indian Army with the help of the Indian Air Force successfully recaptured Tiger Hill and other posts during the operation.

After the Kargil war, the defence spending in the budget was increased. The Defence Intelligence Agency and National Technical Research Organisation were created on the basis of recommendations of the Kargil Review Committee.

How Vajpayee Handled the Kashmir Issue

Atal Bihari Vajpayee believed that the Kashmir issue could be solved with three principles – Kashmiriyat, Insaniyat and Jamhooriyat. His approach to the Kashmir problem was practical and he wanted a lasting solution to the issue.

People in Kashmir remember him as a leader who was ready to look beyond politics to resolve the complex issue. He took some meaningful steps like opening a dialogue with all stakeholders in the valley.

He even tried to foster friendly relations with Pakistan. Vajpayee launched Delhi-Lahore bus service in February 1999. He travelled in the same bus to meet his counterpart Nawaz Sharif in Pakistan. However, the efforts went in vain after Pakistan's intrusion in Kargil.

When He Resigned as the Prime Minister in 1996

Atal Bihari Vajpayee was sworn in as the 10the Prime Minister of the country in 1996 after the BJP emerged as the single largest party in the general elections.

However, the BJP was short of the halfway mark of 272, and thus, the then President Shankar Dayal Sharma gave them two weeks to prove majority.

When Vajpayee realised his party would lose the trust vote, he chose to step down gracefully.

The very calm Vajpayee, the finest Hindi orator Parliament has ever seen, spoke for about an hour and said his party would continue to serve the country and they were ready to sit in the Opposition.

First Indian Leader to Address UNGCA in Hindi

Atal Bihari Vajpayee addressed the 32^nd session of the UNGCA in Hindi in 1977 as the External Affairs Minister of the country.

Janata Party Leader Morarji Desai was the country’s Prime Minister then.

A driving force behind the upliftment of Hindi at International platforms, Vajpayee was the first Indian leader who had opted to speak in English at the UNGCA. Although he was fluent in English as well.

Vajpayee visited the UN headquarters seven times between 1977 and 2003 and spoke on various issues including nuclear disarmament and terrorism.

Remembering Atal Bihari Vajpayee: What today’s leaders can learn from him

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