Life of Atal Bihari Vajpayee | Knowledge Studio Hub

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Let’s know more about our thrice held or 10^th Prime Minister of India Shri. Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Vajpayee ji was born on 25 December 1924. His father, Krishna Bihari Vajpayee was a school teacher and his mother, Krishna Devi was home maker. Vajpayee ji was basically from Bateshwar, Uttar Pradesh but his grandfather, Pandit Shyam Lal Vajpayee had migrated to Morena, Gwalior. So, his schooling was from Saraswati Shishu Mandir, Gwalior. He was graduated from Laxmi Bai College (earlier Gwalior’s Victoria College). He had completed his M.A. in Political Science from DAV College, Kanpur.

In 1939, he joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sang (RSS) as a volunteer, or a Swayamsevak. Then he had started activism with Arya Kumar Sabha in Gwalior, the youth wing of the Arya Samaj and later on he became the general secretary in 1944. During 1940-44, he joined the Officer Training Camp of the RSS and became a pracharak. He had gone to Uttar Pradesh as a Vistarak and rapidly started working for the newspaper of Deendayal Upadhyaya, Panchjanya(a Hindi Weekly), Rashtradharma (a Hindi Monthly).

 Starting of Political Career 

At the age of 16 Vajpayee ji had already become an active member of RSS. In August 1942, during the Quit India Movement Vajpayee ji and his elder brother Prem were arrested for 24 days. He was given a written undertaking stating that he was a part of crowd, but he had not contributed for militant events in Bateshwar on 27 August 1942.

At 1948, the RSS was banned for its unproven role in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. He soon became follower and advisor of the party leader Syama Prasad Mukerjee. In 1954, Vajpayee ji was with Mukherjee when he was  on fast-unto-death in Kashmir to protest against professed inferior action of non-Kashmiri Indian visitor to the state and Mukerjee died in prison during this strike.   

Vajpayee ji skills led him to gain the reputation of being the most fluent defender of the Jana Sangh’s policied. The leadership of Jana Sangh has been passed to Vajpayee ji after the dead of Deendayal Upadhayaya. In 1968 he became the national president of Jana sanghand running the party along with L.K. Advani, Nanaji Deshmuskh and Balraj Madhok.

Personal Life

Vajpayee ji was bachelor for his entire life. He had adopted the child Namita Bhattacharya, she was the daughter of Vajpayee ji longtime friend Rajkumar Kaul and BN Kaul. He lives with his adopted family.

Namita Bhattacharya(left)

He was well-known poet, writing in Hindi. Some of collection of poems was written when he was imprisoned during the 1975-77 Emergency and Amar aag hai. With affection on his poetry he wrote, “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 dispirited voice of dejection but the stirring shout of victory”.

Political career

A combination of parties, called the Janata party, won the General Election in 1977. The chosen leader of coalition was Morarji Desai became the Prime Minister. Where as Vajpayee ji was been chosen as the Minister of External Affairs. As the foreign minister, Vajpayee ji was the first person in 1977 who had given the speech to the United Nations General Assembly.

In 1979, when the Morarji Desai resigned as Prime Minister, the Janata Party was dissolved soon. After that the Jana Sangh had devoted its political association to sustain the coalition and was left bushed by the internecine political wars within the Janata Party. Then in 1980, the member of the Bhartiya Jana Sangh came together to became the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and Vajpayee ji as first President of BJP.

Then in March 1995, the success in the Assembly Election in Maharashtra and Gujarat, and with the best performance in the elections of Karnataka Assembly in December 1994. BJP has become the greater political prominence. In November 1995, BJP President L.K. Advani declared Vajpayee ji as the Prime Minister of India. Then on May 1996, BJP won the parliamentary election. 

Health of Vajpayee ji

Vajpayee ji suffered though a stoke in 2009, which impaired his speech. His health was been a major concern, he was confined to a wheelchair and failed to identify individuals. He was also suffering from long-term Diabetes. From several years, he had not attended any rally and public activities.

Vajpayee ji was admitted to AIIMS on June 11, 2018, in critical condition as kidney infection. Than on 16 August 2018 he died in AIIMS at 5:05 pm at the age of 93.

Vajpayee ji was burnt with full state respects at Rashtriya Smriti Sthal near Raj Ghat his pyre was lit by his daughter Namita Kaul Bhattacharya.