Atal Bihari Vajpayee Biography: Facts, Early Life, Education, Career & More
Atal Bihari Vajpayee was India’s previous Prime Minister. He served the country thrice in the capacity of the Prime Minister. His first stint in the year 1996 lasted for 13 days, then from 1998 – 1999, he served again for a span of 13 months and from that point on from the year 1999 – 2004, he served a full 5-year term of the Prime Minister of India. He started his political profession as Bharatiya Jana Sangh’s Member of Parliament and later filled in in the Janata government as the Minister of External Affairs under the leadership of Morarji Desai. At the point of collapse of Janata government, he alongside various other member from Bharatiya Jana Sangh shaped another political gathering known as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Over the following 15 years, he played an instrumental role in the enlargement of BJP throughout the country.
Accordingly, BJP developed as the only biggest gathering in the general elections of the year 1996, 1998 and then in the year 1999, he turned into India’s Prime Minister. Through the span of his profession, he was chosen twice to the Rajya Sabha and multiple times to the Lok Sabha.
Early Life and Education
AB Vajpayee was born to Krishna Bihari Vajpayee and Krishna Devi in Gwalior on the 25th of December 1924. His father was a teacher teaching in school. AB Vajpayee finished his primary schooling from Gwalior’s Saraswati Shishu Mandir. From there on, he finished his Bachelors in Sanskrit, Hindi and English from Victoria College in Gwalior and from Kanpur’s DAV College he completed his masters in Political Science. He was a dissident on a fundamental level, he joined Arya Samaj’s youth wing known as Arya Kumar Sabha. He turned into the general secretary of Arya Kumar Sabha in the year 1944. He additionally took an interest in the 1942’s Quit India Movement alongside his sibling Prem.
In the year 1939, he started working in Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in the capacity of a swayamsevak. From the year 1940 till 1944, he signed up and took training from the Officers’ Training Camp. After the training he became a full-fledged member in the year 1947, likewise known as a pracharak. He registered to learn law however gave up amid the unrest due to the India’s partitioning. Eventually he was led on as a vistarak (or in other words pracharak on probation) to Uttar Pradesh. He worked there for different daily papers, such as Rashtradharama, Swadesh, Veer Arjun and Panchjanya.
Political Career
Vajpayee started his proper political profession in the year 1951, when he was operating for the freshly framed political gathering – Bharatiya Jan Sangha or also Jan Sangha. He was designated as a Nation secretary for the Northern area of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh. Throughout the years, Vajpayee every now and again observed alongside Syama Prasad Mukherjee – the leading lightof the party. In the year 1954, Vajpayee alongside Mukherjee observed a fast-unto-demise in Kashmir. This fast was to challenge the apparent oppressive behaviourtowards the Indian guests to the state who were of the non-Kashmiri origin. The party leader – Syama Prasad Mukherjee got captured and he eventually passed on in the jail amid strike.
AB Vajpayee was first chosen in Lok Sabha from the constituency of Balrampur in the year 1957. He right away influenced parliament by the very positive and splendid oratory skills and enunciation he owned. His rhetorical skills won many hearts and that included Jawaharlal Nehru, who was serving as the Prime Minister of India at that point of time. Vajpayee proceeded to wind up becoming the brand of Jan Sangha and after the passing of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya,he turned into the party’s national president in the year 1968. He alongside different leads from the party worked eagerly to grow the party into a huge one. These leaders included the likes of Bhairon Singh Shekhawat and L.K Advani.
In the year 1975, amid the Emergency implemented by Indira Gandhi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee was captured and imprisoned alongside other members of the opposition party. In the year 1977, at the point when this state of emergency was pulled back, all the parties opposing Congress joined their hands in order to challenge Indira Gandhi’s Congress Party and her term as Prime Minister. By this time, Vajpayee’s Bharatiya Jana Sangh, converged into the freshly framed Janata Party that proceeded on to win the 1977 general elections. He was designated as the Minister of External Affairs under the cabinet of Morarji Desai. The span of Janata Party’s government was shortand collapsed in the year 1980. Vajpayee, alongside other members from the RSS and Bharatiya Jan Sangh, framed Bharatiya Janata Party in the year 1980. He turned into the first and foremost president of this party.
Throughout the span of subsequent 16 years, he alongside other senior members of the party worked enthusiastically to fortify and grow the party. Towards the end of 1980s, BJP additionally got associated with the movement of Ram Janam bhoomi Mandir. Because of the indefatigable endeavours of party leaders and reach of its belief system, BJP rose as the solitary biggest political party during the general elections of the year 1996.
Stint as India’s Prime Minister
Consequent to the general elections of the year 1996, BJP was welcomed to frame the legislature. In spite of the fact that BJP indeed was the single biggest party, it still did not have a strong majority. There was nothing much this party could do to assemble support from different other political parties to get a greater part in the legislature and eventually Vajpayee decided to leave in just a matter of thirteen days.
During the general elections of the year 1998, the BJP once again arose as the solitary biggest party and framed an alliance called National Democratic Alliance or NDA alongside other parties of the similar ideology. The quality of this alliance was more than the larger part that was required and subsequently Vajpayee was confirmed as India’s Prime Minister once more. In any case, this government endured just a span of 13 months as AIADMK – Jayalalitha’s party – pulled back help from Atal’s government. Eventually, in the Lok Sabha his government lost the motion of confidence by a solitary vote.
Amid his second stint of 13 months as Prime Minister, government of Vajpayee took a few exemplary decisions. Five atomic tests were conducted in Pokhran by India in the year 1998 and in this manner our nation turned into an atomic weapons state. Likewise Vajpayee supported harmony and fellowship with Pakistan through starting a bus service between Delhi-Lahore called as Sada-e-Sarhad. The aim of Lahore Declaration was better relations and good friendship among India and Pakistan. The Kargil War likewise was battled under the administration of Vajpayee for almost 3 months. Victory in this war eventually reinforced political picture of Vajpayee making him a strong politician.
In the 1999 general elections, BJP-drove NDA won an agreeable majority and with this larger part Vajpayee accepted his vows on 13th October, 1999 as India’s Prime Minister. This was his third stint as PM of the country, and he took numerous decisions and presented numerous monetary and infrastructural changes.
He was especially disposed towards the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana and the National Highways Development Project. In 2001 he initiated the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan so that the objective of fundamental education to people and children from all strata of society could be accomplished. He played an instrumental role in growing harmonious relationship with the US. The Historic Vision Document was signed by the then U.S. President Bill Clinton and Vajpayee.
The government under Vajpayee was a standout amongst the most change friendly governments ever of and could privatize a few PSUs which were only making losses. Though he was criticised for his tendency towards privatisation by many trade unions yet it didn’t deter him.
Floated by the achievement of his political party in the elections in Rajasthan, Chattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. Towards the end of 2003, he led NDA government contest the elections by a half year. Be that as it may, this alliance of BJP led NDA failed to achieve a dominant part in the general elections of 2004. Congress eventually shaped an alliance with different parties and it was called United Progressive Alliance or UPA. Leader of this alliance was Manmohan Singh. Eventually Vajpayee resigned and his place was taken by Manmohan Singh as the India’s new Prime Minister.
He declared his retirement in December 2005 politics and that he won’t challenge in subsequent general elections.
Demise
Owing to his critical condition he was admitted to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi on 11th June 2018. His health was continuously fluctuating and he was hospitalized for more than two months. He passed away on 16th August, 2018.
His passing was nothing less than the end of an era. He was a true leader and changed the paradigm of the world. He was responsible for getting immense strength and respect for the nation.
Interesting Facts
- AB Vajpayee stayed a bachelor all through his life. He adopted a girl by the name of Namita Bhattacharya.
- Vajpayee was enamoured with classical Indian dance and music. He was additionally a lover of verse and composed poems himself.
- He endured a stroke in the year 2009, which seriously affected his intellectual and speech capacities. Over the most recent years of his life, Vajpayee was limited to wheelchair. He could barely recognise individuals
- He was conferred the Bharat Ratna Award on 27th March 2015,at his residence by Pranab Mukherjee, the then President of India.
- 25th December – his birthday was simultaneously proclaimed as “Good Governance Day”.
- He was also the recipient of the Padma Vibhushan award, Lokmanya Tilak Award and Outstanding Parliamentarian Award.
