Atal Bihari Vajpayee death anniversary; Know about his life, achievements | India News

Vajpayee served as the PM three times, briefly in 1996 and then for two terms between 1998 and 2004. His birthday is celebrated on December 25, as ‘Good Governance Day’. He was even awarded Bharat Ratna in 2015. 

Who was Atal Bihari Vajpayee?

Atal Bihari Vajpayee was an Indian politician and poet who served the country as the Prime Minister for 13 days in 1996, then for 13 months from 1998 to 1999, followed by a full term from 1999 to 2004. 

Vajpayee was the first non-congress PM to serve a full term in the office. He was among the co-founders and a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party. 

In 2014, the Narendra Modi government declared Vajpayee’s birthday – December 25 – as the Good Governance Day. In 2015, he received the highest civilian honour, Bharat Ratna, from the then president of India, Pranab Mukherjee. He passed away in 2018 due to an age-related illness. 

Vajpayee remained unmarried throughout his life. However, he adopted and raised Namita Bhattacharya as his own child, the daughter of longtime friend Rajkumari Kaul and her husband BN Kaul.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee political career

Vajpayee made some really important reforms in his regime like the National Highways Development Project, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, and Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana carried out under his reign. He worked with President Bill Clinton on the Historic Vision Document improving India’s relationship with the United States. Vajpayee concentrated on coalition governance, although RSS was pressuring him to advance the Hindutva agenda. 

In his 5 decades-long political career, he served Rajya Sabha twice and Lok Sabha ten times. He retired from politics in December 2005.  He suffered a stroke in 2009 that impaired his speech and cognitive abilities. 

Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s death

Vajpayee was admitted to AIIMS on June 11, 2018, due to a critical kidney infection. He was declared dead at 5.05 pm on August 16, 2018. On August 17, his body was draped with the Indian flag, and taken to BJP headquarters where party workers paid tributes to the stalwart.

He was cremated with full honours at Rashtriya Smriti Sthal near Raj Ghat at 4 pm. His pyre was lit by his adopted daughter Namita Kaul Bhattacharya. Thousands of people including many dignitaries attended his funeral including PM Modi and then President Ram Nath Kovind. His ashes were immersed in the Ganga river at Haridwar by Kaul.

Atal Bihar Vajpayee: Top 10 quotes

Here are the top 10 quotes of Atal Bihar Vajpayee

1. 
   “You can change friends but not neighbours.”
2. 
   “Victory and defeat are a part of life, which are to be viewed with equanimity.”
3. 
   “Quiet diplomacy is far more effective than public posturing.”
4. 
   “The world respects us only when we have self-respect.”
5. 
   “No guns but only brotherhood can resolve the problems.”
6. 
   “Our aim may be as high as the endless sky, but we should have a resolve in our minds to walk ahead, hand-in-hand, for victory will be ours.”
7. 
   “My poet’s heart gives me strength to face political problems, particularly those which have a bearing on my conscience.”
8. 
   “Terrorism has no religion, and it cannot be justified on any grounds.”
9. 
   “We are unnecessarily wasting our precious resources in wars… if we must wage war, we have to do it on unemployment, disease, poverty, and backwardness.”
10. 
    “Ours is a multi-religious country, a multilingual country; we have many different modes of worship. We believe in peaceful and harmonious coexistence.”

First Published: Aug 16 2024 | 4:47 PM IST