Atal Bihari Vajpayee was an Indian statesman who served three terms as Prime Minister of India. He was born in 1924 in Gwalior and was elected to parliament in 1957 as a member of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh party, which he helped found. As prime minister, he ordered nuclear weapons tests in 1998, took a bus to Pakistan to improve relations, and oversaw economic growth despite a global recession. He was awarded India's highest civilian honor, the Bharat Ratna, in 2015 for his service as a leader and poet.
2. AtalBihari
Vajpayee
Born on December 25, 1924, in
Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh.
He has been a Member of Parliament
since 1957.
Accomplished poet and statesman.
Founder president of Jan Sangh and
Bhartiya Janata Party
3. Education
He completed his schooling from
Saraswati Shishu Mandir Gorkhi,
Bara, Gwalior
He attended Victoria College (now
Laxmibai College), Gwalior and DAV
College, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh,
He holds an M.A (Political Science)
degree
He has edited Rashtradharma (a Hindi
monthly), Panchjanya (a Hindi
weekly).
4. Early political carrer
His first exposure to politics was in
August 1942, when he was arrested
for 23 days during the Quit India
movement.
1951 - Founder-Member, Jana Sangh
(B.J.S)
He as elected to the parliament for the
first time in1957
5. He was the leader of the Jana Sangh
parliamentary party (1955-1977) and a
founder-member of the Janata Party
(1977-1980)
Shri Vajpayee was President, BJP
(1980-1986) and the leader of BJP
parliamentary party during 1980-1984,
1986 and 1993-1996.
He was Leader of the Opposition
throughout the term of the 11th Lok
Sabha.
6. In 1980, following a split in the Janata
Party, Vajpayee helped the BJS to
reorganize itself as the BJP.
In 1992 he was one of the few Hindu
leaders to speak out against the
destruction of the historic mosque
at Ayodhya by anti-Muslim extremists.
7. Vajpayee was sworn in as prime
minister in May 1996 but was in office
only 13 days, after failing to attract
support from other parties.
In early 1998 he again became prime
minister ,though with a unstable
alliance.
In 1999 the BJP increased its seats in
parliament and consolidated its hold
on government.
8. Major Accomplishments
Vajpayee assumed a defiant posture
in the face of Western criticism of
India’s testing of several nuclear
weapons in 1998(Pokhran)
9. The bus journey to Pakistan in
February 1999 was widely acclaimed
for starting a new era of negotiations
to resolve the outstanding problems of
the sub-continent.
10. It was during Shri Vajpayee's 1998-99
tenure that despite a global recession,
India achieved 5.8 per cent GDP
growth, which was higher than the
previous year.
Higher agricultural production and
increase in foreign exchange reserves
during this period were indicative of a
forward-looking economy responding
to the needs of the people.
11. Giving rise to private business in India,
it reduced the government's
involvement in the industry.
Many companies like Bharat
Aluminium Company (BALCO) and
Hindustan Zinc, Indian Petrochemicals
Corporation Limited were disinvested.
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd was
separately created to head over the
services and policies
12. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan:It was for
the first time in India that elementary
education became free for children
aged 6-14 years
13. Under his reign, India improved its
trade and reduced territorial disputes
with the People's Republic of China
In 2000, he invited former US
President Bill Clinton, improving the
bilateral ties after the Cold War
14. He invited the then President Pervez
Musharraf to India for a two-day Agra
summit meeting from July 14-16,
2001, in order to discuss cross-border
terrorism and Kashmir
15. India’s first Lunar probe-Chandrayaan-
1 was passed during his tenure.
16. The most ambitious road projects in
India were launched by him, including
the Golden Quadrilateral and the
Pradhanmantri Gramin Sadak Yojna
The Golden Quadrilateral connected
metropolitan cities -- Chennai,
Kolkata, Delhi and Mumbai -- through
a network of highways
17. The poet within
"Meri Ikkyavan Kavitayen", "Sankalp
Kaal", "Shakti-se-Shanti",
"Lok Sabha Mein Atalji" (a collection
of speeches);
Mrityu Ya Hatya", "Amar Balidan",
"Kaidi Kaviraj Ki Kundalian“ -a
collection of poems written in jail
during Emergency;
"Amar Aag Hai" (a collection of
poems, 1994).
18. Shri Vajpayee was conferred Padma
Vibhushan in 1992 in recognition of his
services to the nation.
He was also conferred the Lokmanya
Tilak Puruskar and the Pt. Govind
Ballabh Pant Award for the Best
Parliamentarian, both in 1994.
Earlier, the Kanpur University honoured
him with an Honorary Doctorate of
Philosophy in 1993.
He was given the Bharat Ratna in the
year 2015
19. He was the first to give a speech in
hindi at United Nations General
Assembly.
He was also the only leader of
opposition who was a part of India’s
delegation to the UN.
