The secularist

Atal Bihari Vajpayee displayed a surprising dichotomy of espousing rightist ideals while proposing unblemished equality among all communities – this enigmatic combination doubled by his remarkable oratory and kindheartedness have immortalised his virtues

Aparliamentarian for five decades, a former Prime Minister and a recipient of the highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna – Atal Bihari Vajpayee passed away on August 16, at the age of 93, leaving behind a rich legacy of distinctions in public life. As a politician, he was suave and sophisticated – unlike other politicians, he never showed undue haste or opportunism in grabbing power. His first tenure as the Prime Minister of India lasted for only 13 days and his second, barely 13 months before he ruled the country for a full term of five years from 1999 to 2004. And, when he lost the elections in 2004, he took retirement from politics, announcing that he would not contest the next elections. Vajpayee’s popularity transcended much beyond his party and he was often described by the opposition leaders as the right man in the wrong party – a party he had founded in 1980 to become its first president. When his successor Lal Krishna Advani became the BJP President in 1986, the party adopted a hardline approach and became the political voice of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement with an eye on polarising majority Hindu votes. Though the BJP’S electoral success went as per the script, Vajpayee was not happy with the party trying to divide people into communal lines. He is said to have expressed grief over the demolition of the Babri mosque in December 1992. Though Vajpayee spent all his political life espousing the ideologies of Vajpayee, an RSS pracharak,was handpicked by the likes of Deen Dayal Upadhyay and Syama Prasad Mookerjee in 1952 to lead the Sangh Parivar’s foray into national politics Vajpayee addressing the UNGA’S 32nd minister under session the Janata Par in 1977 minister Morarji ty as the foreign Desai government headed by then prime