A TITAN’S JOURNEY
From a firebrand Opposition leader jailed during the Emergency to a visionary statesman respected by all, HT takes a look at Vajpayee’s career:
1924: Atal Bihari Vajpayee is born in Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior
1942: Arrested and held for 24 days. He later wrote in a piece titled ‘The Sangh is my Soul’: “I participated in the Quit India movement in 1942 and was jailed…”
1951: After working as a journalist, he joins the newly formed Bharatiya Jana Sangh
1957: Elected to the Lok Sabha for the first time
1962: Becomes a member of the Rajya Sabha
1975: Jailed during the Emergency
977-79: Serves as the external affairs minister in the Janata Party government
1980: Cuts ties with the Janata Party and helps found the Bharatiya Janata Party. He is chosen as the president of the party
992: Awarded the Padma Vibhushan for contribution in the field of public affairs
1996: Becomes the Prime Minister but is forced to resign in 13 days after the BJP unsuccessfully attempts to stitch together an alliance with regional parties. On May 28, he – in what has become a landmark speech —resigned on the floor of the House before a trust vote
98: Sworn in as PM after the BJP emerges as the single largest party and forms the National Democratic Alliance government
1998: Under Vajpayee’s leadership, India conducts five nuclear tests on May 11 and 13 at Pokhran in Rajasthan, defying threat of international sanctions. Seventeen days later, Pakistan does its own tests.
1999: The government lasts a little over a year. Vajpayee resigns in April after his party loses the vote of confidence
1999: Becomes the PM for a third time in October after the NDA emerges as the largest political alliance
2000: Signs a statement on ‘US-India Relations: A Vision for the 21st Century’ along with Bill Clinton during the then US President’s visit to India in March. The statement talks of a “pledge to reduce impediments to bilateral trade and investment, and to expand commerce between the two nations”
000: In September, after an invitation to address a joint session of the US Congress, he delivers a speech that takes bilateral relations to a new high. Vajpayee says his visit to Washington has “consolidated relations between the world’s two largest democracies and marked a new era in bilateral and global affairs” 2004: In May, he resigns as the PM following the NDA’s defeat in the Lok Sabha elections 2005: Retires from active politics, says will not contest in the next general election 2009: Has a stroke that impairs his speech 015: Conferred the harat Ratna, the ountry’s highest civilian award. In a departure from protocol, President Pranab Mukherjee drives to Vajpayee’s residence and presents the award to the ailing leader. PM Modi says: “There are crores of workers around he country who draw spiration from Atal ji”