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Atal Bihari Vajpayee (born 25 December 1924) is an Indian politician who

was the 10th Prime Minister of India, first for 13 days in 1996 and then from

1998 to 2004. A leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he is the first

Prime Minister from outside the Indian National Congress party to serve a

full five-year term.

A parliamentarian for over four decades, Vajpayee was elected to the Lok

Sabha (the lower house of India's Parliament) ten times, and twice to the

Rajya Sabha (upper house). He also served as the Member of Parliament

for Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, until 2009, when he retired from active politics

due to health concerns. Vajpayee was one amongst the founder members

of erstwhile Bharatiya Jana Sangh, which he had also headed. He was also

the Minister of External Affairs in the cabinet of Morarji Desai. When Janata

government collapsed, Vajpayee restarted the Jana Sangh as the

Bharatiya Janata Party in 1980.

On 25 December 2014 the office of President of India announced the

Bharat Ratna award, India's highest civilian honour, to Vajpayee. In a

special gesture, the President of India conferred Bharat Ratna to Atal Bihari

Vajpayee in his residence on 27 March 2015.[2] His birthday, 25

December, was declared "Good Governance Day".

Early life and education[edit]

Vajpayee was born to Krishna Devi and Krishna Bihari Vajpayee on 25

December 1924 in Gwalior. His grandfather, Pandit Shyam Lal Vajpayee,

had migrated to Morena, Gwalior from his ancestral village of Bateshwar,

Uttar Pradesh. His father, Krishna Bihari Vajpayee, was a poet and a

schoolmaster in his hometown. Vajpayee studied from the Government

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Higher secondary school, Gorkhi, Bara, Gwalior.[citation needed] Vajpayee

attended Gwalior's Victoria College (now Laxmi Bai College) and graduated

with distinction in Hindi, English and Sanskrit. He completed his post-

graduation with an M.A. in Political Science from Dayanand Anglo-Vedic

College, Kanpur, and was awarded a first-class degree.[5][6]

His activism started with the Arya Kumar Sabha of Gwalior, the youth wing

of the Arya Samaj, of which he became the General Secretary in 1944. He

also joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as a swayamsevak

in 1939. Influenced by Babasaheb Apte, he attended the Officers Training

Camp of the RSS during 1940-44 and became a "full-time worker" in 1947,

technically a pracharak. He gave up studying law due to the partition riots.

He was sent as a vistarak (probationary pracharak) to Uttar Pradesh and

quickly began working for the newspapers of Deendayal Upadhyaya,

Rashtradharma (a Hindi monthly), Panchjanya (a Hindi weekly) and the

dailies Swadesh and Veer Arjun. Vajpayee never married and has

remained a bachelor his entire life.

Early political career (1942–1975)

Vajpayee's first exposure to politics was in August 1942, when he and his

elder brother Prem were arrested for 23 days during the Quit India

movement, when he was released only after giving a written undertaking,

expressly declaring not to participate in any of the anti-British struggle.[9]

In 1951, he was seconded by the RSS, along with Deendayal Upadhyaya,

to work for the newly formed Bharatiya Jana Sangh, a Hindu right-wing

political party associated with the RSS. He was appointed as a national

secretary of the party in charge of the Northern region, based in Delhi. He

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soon became a follower and aide of party leader Syama Prasad Mookerjee.

In 1954, Vajpayee was with Mookerjee when he went on a fast-unto-death

in Kashmir to protest against perceived inferior treatment of non-Kashmiri

Indian visitors to the state. Mookerjee died in prison during this strike. In

1957, Vajpayee lost to Raja Mahendra Pratap in Mathura[10][11] for the

Lok Sabha, the lower house of India's Parliament, but was elected from

Balrampur. There, his oratorial skills so impressed Prime Minister

Jawaharlal Nehru that he predicted that Vajpayee would someday become

India's Prime Minister.[12]

By virtue of his oratorical and organizational skills, he became the face of

the Jana Sangh. After the death of Deendayal Upadhyaya, the mantle of

the leadership of Jana Sangh fell on the shoulders of a young Vajpayee.

He became the national president of the Jana Sangh in 1968 and, along

with Nanaji Deshmukh, Balraj Madhok and L. K. Advani, led the Jana

Sangh to national prominence.

Political career (1975–1995)

From 1975 to 1977, Vajpayee was arrested along with several other

opposition leaders during the Internal Emergency imposed by Prime

Minister Indira Gandhi of the Indian National Congress party. In 1977,

heeding the call of social reformer Jayaprakash Narayan for all the

opposition parties to unite against the Congress, Vajpayee merged the

Jana Sangh into the newly formed grand-alliance, the Janata Party.[13]

Following Janata's victory in the 1977 general elections, he became the

Minister of External Affairs in Prime Minister Morarji Desai's cabinet. As

foreign minister, that year Vajpayee became the first person to deliver a

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speech to the United Nations General Assembly in Hindi. By the time the

Janata government crumbled in 1979, Vajpayee had established himself as

an experienced statesman and a respected political leader.[13]

The Janata Party was dissolved soon after Morarji Desai resigned as Prime

Minister in 1979. The Jana Sangh had devoted its political organisation to

sustain the coalition and was left exhausted by the internecine political

wars within the Janata Party.

Vajpayee joined many of his Bharatiya Jana Sangh and Rashtriya

Swayamsewak Sangh colleagues, particularly his long-time friends L. K.

Advani and Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, to form the Bharatiya Janata Party

(BJP) in 1980. He became the BJP's first President. He emerged as a

strong critic of the Congress (I) government that followed the Janata

government.

While the BJP opposed the Sikh militancy that was rising in the state of

Punjab, it also blamed Prime Minister Indira Gandhi for her "divisive and

corrupt politics that fostered such militancy at the expense of national unity

and integrity."[14] The BJP was left with only two parliamentary seats in the

1984 elections. During this period, Vajpayee remained at the centre-stage

as party President and Leader of the Opposition in the Parliament.

The BJP became the political voice of the Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir

Movement, which was led by activists of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP)

and the RSS, and which sought to build a temple dedicated to Lord Rama

in Ayodhya.

Victory in the assembly elections in Gujarat and Maharashtra in March

1995, and a good performance in the elections to the Karnataka assembly

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in December 1994, propelled the BJP to greater political prominence.

During a BJP conference in Mumbai in November 1995, BJP President L.K.

Advani declared that Vajpayee would become the Prime Minister of India.

The BJP won in the May 1996 parliamentary elections.[

As prime minister of India:

Vajpayee served as the Prime Minister of India between 1996 and 2004 in

three non-consecutive terms.

First term: May 1996[edit]

See also: First Vajpayee Ministry

The BJP grew in strength in the early 1995 riding on pro-nationalistic

sentiments. In the 1996 general elections, the BJP emerged as the single

largest party in the Lok Sabha. The then president Shankar Dayal Sharma

invited Vajpayee to form the government. Vajpayee was sworn in as the

10th Prime Minister of India, but the BJP failed to muster enough support

from other parties to obtain a majority. He resigned after 13 days, when it

became clear that he could not garner a majority.

Second term: 1998–1999[edit]

See also: Second Vajpayee Ministry

After the fall of the two United Front governments between 1996 and 1998,

the Lok Sabha was dissolved and fresh elections were held. The 1998

general elections again put the BJP ahead of others. This time, a cohesive

bloc of political parties joined the BJP to form the National Democratic

Alliance (NDA), and Vajpayee was sworn in as the Prime Minister.[16]

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The NDA proved its majority in the parliament. The government lasted 13

months until mid-1999 when the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra

Kazhagam (AIADMK) under J. Jayalalitha withdrew its support to the

government.[17] The government lost the ensuing vote of confidence

motion in the Lok Sabha by a single vote on 17 April 1999. As the

Opposition was unable to come up with the numbers to form the new

government, the Lok Sabha was again dissolved and fresh elections were

held. Vajpayee remaining the Prime Minister until the elections were held.

Nuclear tests:

See also: Operation Shakti

In May 1998, India conducted five underground nuclear tests in Pokhran

desert in Rajasthan, 24 yrs after India conducted its first nuclear test

Pokhran-I in 1974. This test is called Pokhran-II. The tests were held just a

month after the government had been in power. Two weeks later, Pakistan

responded with its own nuclear tests making it the newest declared nation

with nuclear weapons.

While some nations, such as Russia and France, endorsed India's right to

defensive nuclear power,[18] others including the United States, Canada,

Japan, Britain and the European Union imposed sanctions on information,

resources and technology to India. In spite of the intense international

criticism and the steady decline in foreign investment and trade, the nuclear

tests were popular domestically. Effectively the international sanctions

failed completely in swaying India's decision to weaponize their nuclear

capability, something that was planned for and anticipated by the Vajpayee

administration.[19]

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The Lahore summit[edit]

In late 1998 and early 1999, Vajpayee began a push for a full-scale

diplomatic peace process with Pakistan. With the historic inauguration of

the Delhi-Lahore bus service in February 1999, Vajpayee initiated a new

peace process aimed towards permanently resolving the Kashmir dispute

and other conflicts with Pakistan. The resultant Lahore Declaration

espoused a commitment to dialogue, expanded trade relations and mutual

friendship and envisaged a goal of denuclearised South Asia. This eased

the tension created by the 1998 nuclear tests, not only within the two

nations but also in South Asia and the rest of the world.

The Vajpayee-led government was faced with two crises in mid-1999. The

AIADMK had continually threatened to withdraw from the coalition and

national leaders repeatedly flew down from Delhi to Chennai to pacify the

AIADMK chief J. Jayalalitha. However, in May 1999, the AIADMK did pull

the plug on the NDA, and the Vajpayee administration was reduced to a

caretaker status pending fresh elections scheduled for October 1999.

Kargil War:

It was revealed that militants and non-uniformed Pakistani soldiers (many

with official identifications and Pakistan Army's custom weaponry) had

infiltrated into the Kashmir Valley and captured control of border hilltops,

unmanned border posts and were spreading out fast. The incursion was

centred around the town of Kargil, but also included the Batalik and

Akhnoor sectors and artillery exchanges at the Siachen Glacier.

Indian army units were swiftly rushed into Kashmir in response. Operation

Vijay, launched in June 1999, saw the Indian military fighting thousands of

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militants and soldiers in the midst of heavy artillery shelling and while facing

extremely cold weather, snow and treacherous terrain at the high altitude.

Over 500 Indian soldiers were killed in the three-month-long Kargil War,

and it is estimated around 600-4,000 Pakistani militants and soldiers died

as well. India pushed back the Pakistani militants and Northern Light

Infantry soldiers. Almost 70% of the territory was recaptured by India. With

news of Pakistan planning to launch a nuclear attack in the face of a loss in

the war with India, Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was summoned

to the US by Bill Clinton and warned against any such action.[18][citation

needed]

After Pakistan suffered heavy losses, and with both the United States and

China refusing to condone the incursion or threaten India to stop its military

operations, General Musharraf was recalcitrant and Nawaz Sharif asked

the remaining militants to stop and withdraw to positions along the LoC.

The militants were not willing to accept orders from Sharif but the NLI

soldiers withdrew.[18] The militants were killed by the army or forced to

withdraw in skirmishes which went beyond the announcement of

withdrawal by Pakistan. The victory in Kargil bolstered the image of

Vajpayee and he was hailed across the country for his bold and strong

leadership. On 26 July 2012, designated as 'Kargil Vijay Diwas', BJP

President Nitin Gadkari unveiled a wax statue of Atal Bihari Vajpayee in

Mumbai. The statue is to be put up at a wax museum in Lonavala.[20]

Third term: 1999–2004[edit]

See also: Third Vajpayee Ministry

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In the 1999 general elections, the BJP-led NDA won 303 seats out of the

543 seats in the Lok Sabha, in the aftermath of the Kargil operations,[21]

thereby securing a comfortable and stable majority. On 13 October 1999,

Atal Bihari Vajpayee took oath as Prime Minister of India for the third time.

Indian Airlines hijack:

A national crisis emerged in December 1999, when Indian Airlines flight IC

814 from Kathmandu to New Delhi was hijacked by five terrorists and flown

to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.[22] The hijackers made several demands

including the release of certain terrorists like Maulana Masood Azhar from

prison. Under extreme pressure, the government ultimately caved in.

Jaswant Singh, the Minister for External Affairs at the time, flew with the

terrorists to Afghanistan and exchanged them for the passengers.

National highway project, foreign policy and economic reforms[edit]

Main articles: National Highway Development Project and Pradhan Mantri

Gram Sadak Yojana

During his administration, Vajpayee introduced many domestic economic

and infrastructural reforms, including encouraging the private sector and

foreign investments, reducing governmental waste, encouraging research

and development and privatisation of some government owned

corporations.[23] The UPA Government on 1 July 2013 accepted before

Supreme Court that National Democratic Alliance Government led by

Vajpayee has developed half the roads in last 32 years in their 5-year

term.[24]

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Vajpayee's pet projects were the National Highway Development Project

and Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana.

In March 2000, Bill Clinton, the President of the United States, paid a state

visit to India. His was the first state visit to India by a US President in 22

years. President Clinton's visit to India was hailed as a significant milestone

in the relations between the two countries. Since the visit came barely two

years after the Pokhran tests, and one year after the Kargil invasion and

the subsequent coup in Pakistan, it was read to reflect a major shift in the

post-Cold War U.S. foreign policy. The Indian Prime Minister and the U.S.

President discussed strategic issues, but the major achievement was a

significant expansion in trade and economic ties. The Historic Vision

Document on the future course of relations between the two countries was

signed by Prime Minister Vajpayee and President Clinton during the visit.

Domestically, the BJP-led government was under constant pressure from

its ideological mentor, the RSS, and the hard-line VHP to enact the

Hindutva agenda. But owing to its dependence on coalition support, it was

impossible for the BJP to push items like building the Ram Janmabhoomi

temple in Ayodhya, repealing Article 370 which gave a special status to the

state of Kashmir, or enacting a uniform civil code applicable to adherents of

all religions. On 17 January 2000, there were reports of the RSS and some

BJP hard-liners threatening to restart the Jan Sangh, the precursor to the

BJP, because of their discontent over Atal Bihari Vajpayee rule. Former

president of the Jan Sangh, Balraj Madhok, had written a letter to the then

RSS chief, Rajendra Singh for support.[25] The BJP was, however,

accused of saffronising (saffron being the colour of the flag of the RSS,

symbol of the Hindu nationalism movement) the official state education

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curriculum and apparatus. Also, Home Minister L.K. Advani and Human

Resource Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi were indicted in the

1992 Babri Mosque demolition case for inciting a mob of activists.

Vajpayee himself came under public scrutiny owing to his controversial

speech one day prior to the mosque demolition.[26] The RSS also routinely

criticised the government for free-market policies which introduced foreign

goods and competition at the expense of 'swadeshi' industries and

products.

Vajpayee's administration earned the ire of many trade unions and

government workers for its aggressive campaign to privatise government

owned corporations. Vajpayee promoted pro-business, free market reforms

to reinvigorate India's economic transformation and expansion that were

started by the former PM Narasimha Rao but stalled after 1996 due to

unstable governments and the 1997 Asian financial crisis. Increased

competitiveness, extra funding and support for the information technology

sector and high-tech industries, improvements in infrastructure,

deregulation of trade, investments and corporate laws —- all increased

foreign capital investment and set in motion an economic expansion.

These couple of years of reform however were accompanied by infighting

in the administration and confusion regarding the direction of government.

Vajpayee's weakening health was also a subject of public interest, and he

underwent a major knee-replacement surgery at the Breach Candy

Hospital in Mumbai to relieve great pressure on his legs.

In March 2001, the Tehelka group released the sting operation video

named operation west end showing videos of the BJP President Bangaru

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Laxman, senior army officers and NDA members accepting bribes from

journalists posing as agents and businessmen. The Defence Minister

George Fernandes was forced to resign following the Barak Missile Deal

Scandal, another scandal involving the botched supplies of coffins for the

soldiers killed in Kargil, and the findings of an inquiry commission that the

Government could have prevented the Kargil invasion.[27]

Vajpayee again broke the ice in the Indo-Pak relations by inviting Pakistani

President Pervez Musharraf to Delhi and Agra for a joint summit and peace

talks. His second major attempt to move beyond the stalemate involved

inviting the man who had planned the Kargil invasions. But accepting him

as the President of Pakistan, Vajpayee chose to move forward. But after

three days of much fanfare, which included Musharraf visiting his birthplace

in Delhi, the summit failed to achieve a breakthrough as President

Musharraf declined to leave aside the issue of Kashmir.

In 2001, the Vajpayee government launched the famous Sarva Shiksha

Abhiyan, which aimed at improving the quality of education in primary and

secondary schools.

2001 attack on Parliament[edit]

Main article: 2001 Indian Parliament attack

On 13 December 2001, a group of masked, armed men with fake IDs

stormed the Parliament building in Delhi. The terrorists managed to kill

several security guards, but the building was sealed off swiftly and security

forces cornered and killed the men, who were later proven to be Pakistan

nationals. Coming just three months after the September 11 attacks upon

the United States, this fresh escalation instantly enraged the nation.

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Although the Government of Pakistan officially condemned the attack,

Indian intelligence reports pointed to a conspiracy rooted in Pakistan.

Prime Minister Vajpayee ordered a mobilisation of India's military forces,

and as many as 500,000 servicemen amassed along the international

boundary bordering Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Kashmir. Pakistan

responded with the same. Vicious terrorist attacks and an aggressive anti-

terrorist campaign froze day-to-day life in Kashmir, and foreigners flocked

out of both India and Pakistan, fearing a possible war and nuclear

exchange. For as long as two years, both nations remained perilously close

to a terrible war.

The Vajpayee administration also passed the Prevention of Terrorist Act

against vigorous opposition of non-NDA parties. Human rights groups have

condemned the act which gives wide authority to the government to crack

down and hold anybody. Its repeal was advocated by human rights

organisations.[28]

But the biggest political disaster hit his government between December

2001 and March 2002: the VHP held the Government hostage in a major

standoff in Ayodhya over the Ram temple. At the 10th anniversary of the

destruction of the Babri mosque, the VHP wanted to perform a shila daan,

or a ceremony laying the foundation stone of the cherished temple at the

disputed site. Tens of thousands of VHP activists amassed and threatened

to overrun the site and forcibly build the temple. A grave threat of not only

communal violence, but an outright breakdown of law and order owing to

the defiance of the government by a religious organisation hung over the

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nation.[13] But to the relief of Vajpayee, his government was able to tide

over this crisis rather smoothly.

2002 Gujarat violence[edit]

Main article: 2002 Gujarat violence

In 2002, Hindu-Muslim violence in the state Gujarat killed more than 1,000

people. Vajpayee officially condemned the violence.[29]

Later, Vajpayee made controversial remarks: "Wherever there are Muslims

in large numbers, they do not want to live in peace."[30] The remarks were

clarified by the Prime Minister's Office as being taken out of context.

Vajpayee was accused of doing nothing to stop the violence, and later

admitted mistakes in the handling the events.[31] K.R. Narayanan, then

president of India, also blamed Vajpayee's government for failing to quell

the violence.[32]

Remainder of term[edit]

In late 2002 and 2003 the government pushed economic reforms, and the

country's GDP growth accelerated at record levels, exceeding 6–7%.

Increasing foreign investment, modernisation of public and industrial

infrastructure, the creation of jobs, a rising high-tech and IT industry and

urban modernisation and expansion improved the nation's international

image. Good crop harvests and strong industrial expansion also helped the

economy.

The government reformed the tax system, increased the pace of reforms

and pro-business initiatives, major irrigation and housing schemes and so

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on. The political energies of the BJP shifted to the rising urban middle-class

and young people, who were positive and enthusiastic about the major

economic expansion and future of the country. He faced stiff opposition

from other equally strong organisations in the RSS family such as the

Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh and the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh. However, he

continued with his aggressive economic reform policy.

In August 2003, he announced before the parliament his "absolute last"

effort to achieve peace with Pakistan. Although the diplomatic process

never truly set-off immediately, visits were exchanged by high-level officials

and the military stand-off ended. The Pakistani President and Pakistani

politicians, civil and religious leaders hailed this initiative as did the leaders

of America, Europe and much of the world. In July 2003, Prime Minister

Vajpayee, visited China, and met with various Chinese leaders. He

recognised Tibet as a part of China, which was welcomed by the Chinese

leadership, who in the following year, recognised Sikkim, as a part of India.

Sino-Indian Relations, improved greatly, in the following years.

In November–December 2003, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won three

major state elections, fought mainly on development issues, without

ideological campaigns. A major public relations campaign was launched to

reach out to Muslims and stop the 2002 communal riots controversy from

haunting the party's future. But the attention of the media and of millions

now moved from Vajpayee to his more possible successor, L.K. Advani,

although the question was never directly raised or contested in any way.

Vajpayee's age, failing health and diminished physical and mental vigour

were obvious factors in such speculation.

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Advani assumed greater responsibilities in the party, and although no

perceivable conflict has been known to arise between the longtime friends

and political colleagues, several embarrassing statements were made.

Once Vajpayee said "Advani would lead the BJP in the elections,"

prompting Advani to clarify that he would merely lead the election

campaign, not the party. And then the BJP President Venkaiah Naidu used

mythological references to depict Vajpayee as Vikas Purush (Man of

Progress) and Advani as Loh Purush(Iron Man).

As the BJP prepared for general elections in 2004, Vajpayee was still the

choice of the BJP and of the wider NDA, for the Prime Minister's job.

On 29 June 2002 Atal Bihari Vajpayee while dedicating his collection of

poems translated in Tamil, recalled his friendship with C.N. Annadurai and

claimed that he was not opposed to Hindi and appreciated Vajpayee's

language skills.[33][34] Annadurai however, was against imposition of the

language.

2004 general election[edit]

The NDA was widely expected to retain power after the 2004 general

election. The 13th Lok Sabha had been dissolved before the completion of

its term to capitalise on the perceived 'feel-good factor' and BJP's recent

successes in the Assembly elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and

Chhattisgarh. The BJP hoped to capitalise on the slogan "India Shining"

and released many ads touting the economic growth of the nation.

However, the coalition lost almost half of its seats, with several prominent

cabinet ministers being defeated. The Indian National Congress, led by

Sonia Gandhi, became the single largest party and, along with many minor

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parties, formed the United Progressive Alliance. With the conditional

support of the leftist parties from the outside, the UPA formed a

government under Dr Manmohan Singh. Vajpayee resigned as Prime

Minister and promised co-operation to the new government.[36] Accepting

moral responsibility for the defeat, he decided not to take up the position of

the Leader of the Opposition and passed on the leadership mantle to Lal

Krishna Advani. However, he retained his post as Chairman of the NDA.

Travel and diplomatic assignments[edit]

Vajpayee has visited several countries, first in 1965 as a member of the

Parliamentary Goodwill Mission to East Africa. He was also part of the

Parliamentary Delegations to Australia in 1967, the European Parliament in

1983, and Canada in 1987. He was part of the official Indian Delegation to

Commonwealth Parliamentary Association meetings held in Canada in

1966 and 1994, Zambia in 1980, and the Isle of Man in 1984. He was in the

Indian delegation to the Inter-Parliamentary Union Conference, Japan in

1974, Sri Lanka in 1975; and Switzerland in 1984. He was a regular at the

UN General Assembly, having been part of the Indian Delegations in 1988,

1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1996. He led the Indian Delegation to

the Human Rights Commission Meeting at Geneva in 1993 and the

Delegation of Standing Committees of External Affairs to Gulf countries i.e.

Bahrain, Oman and Kuwait.

Post-premiership[edit]

In December 2005, Vajpayee announced his retirement from active politics,

declaring that he would not contest in the next general election. In a

famous statement at the BJP's silver Jubilee rally at Mumbai's historic

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Shivaji Park, Vajpayee announced that "Henceforth, Lal Krishna Advani

and Pramod Mahajan will be the Ram-Laxman (the two godly brothers

much revered and worshipped by Hindus) of the BJP."[37]

Vajpayee was referred to as the Bhishma Pitamah of Indian Politics by

Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh during his speech in the Rajya

Sabha.[38]

Vajpayee was hospitalised at AIIMS for chest infection and fever on 6

February 2009. He was put on ventilator support as his condition worsened

but he eventually recuperated and was later discharged.[39] Unable to

participate in the campaign for the 2009 general election due to his poor

health, he wrote a letter urging voters to back the BJP. His protege Lalji

Tandon was able to retain the Lucknow seat even though the NDA suffered

electoral reverses all over the country. The tall apolitical image of Vajpayee

was said to be the main reason behind Lalji's success in Lucknow even

though BJP's performance was poor elsewhere in Uttar Pradesh.[40]

Currently, he is the oldest living former Prime Minister of India.

Personal life and interests[edit]

Vajpayee has an adopted daughter, Namita. He is fond of Indian music and

dance. He loves nature and one of his favourite retreats is Manali in

Himachal Pradesh.[41]

Vajpayee has said about his poetry, "My poetry is a declaration of war, not

an exordium to defeat. It is not the defeated soldier's drumbeat of despair,

but the fighting warrior's will to win. It is not the despirited voice of dejection

but the stirring shout of victory."[42]

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Health issues[edit]

Vajpayee underwent knee replacement surgery at Breach Candy Hospital

in Mumbai in 2001. He suffered a stroke in 2009 which impaired his

speech.[43] His health has been a major source of concern and those in

the know say he is often confined to a wheelchair and fails to recognise

people. He is said to be suffering from dementia and long-term diabetes.

He is not known to have attended any public event in recent years. He

rarely ventures out of the house, except for checkups at the All India

Institute of Medical Sciences.[