Celebrating the 100th Birth Anniversary of Atal Bihari Vajpayee: India’s Timeless Statesman

A man is missed the most after he departs to the heavenly abode. The nation is celebrating the 100th birth anniversary of one of the greatest prime ministers of India’s independent history –  Atal Bihari Vajpayee who left an indelible mark on the Indian political landscape. Known for his calm, balanced but sharp and precise tone, Vajpayee is inarguably incomparable when it comes to the leaders with strong moral ground. 

Let us delve into his soulful life journey that is a lesson for those looking to lead a life of dedication and integrity. 

Atal was the last prime minister who saw the struggle of India’s independence from close and participated in it with full fervour. He joined the Quit India Movement and actively contributed to the cause of independence. If there is a fine balance between any two poles in India’s politics, it was Atal who strikes it in the most perfect way possible. He was best at reconciliation. 

Atal was the man of masses as since his college days he was prepared to do something that would help the public. 

He started his journalistic pursuit but had to cut short as he entered politics in 1951. It was in 1957 that he won his first Lok Sabha election from Balrampur. 

Little did people know that his career would span over six decades and he would serve as one of the finest prime ministers of India and would install stability in India’s politics after an era of upheaval. 

He was the one of the four Bhartiya Jan Sangh MPs in the Parliament and with his political acumen, he managed to become the party’s parliamentary leader. There was no looking back since then. In 1962, he joined Rajya Sabha and again Lok Sabha in 1967.

One of his major contributions in India’s democracy has been the shaping up of the ideology of BJS that culminated into what the BJP is today. It was Vajpayee on whose foundational values leaders like Nehru and Indira trusted. 

It is pertinent to note that a man who dedicates his life to the people, his all acts of social life reflect it. Be it his poetry or the love for foreign affairs, he aced every area and made them a cornerstone of his mass-oriented policies. Andhiara fir hatega, ek naya savera ayega‘ and poem, ‘Geet Naya Gata Hoon’, are testament to his mass awakening capabilities. His eloquence and wit made him the leader with a special connection to the masses. It was his ability to interact and convey complex issues to common people in simple language. 

In most part of his 6 decade career, he remained in opposition but is cherished by both sides of the aisle because of his conviction to people, knowledge, humility and the moral high ground. 

He had famously recalled when Jawaharlal Nehru was impressed by his wisdom and leadership quality. In fact, Indira Gandhi took his counsel and sent him to lead foreign delegations to represent India despite him being the opposition leader. 

When the Janata Party government was formed, he became the External Affairs Minister of India. His pragmatic foreign policy opened new avenues in relations with other nations. 

With each passing year Atal only gained popular attention. His role in opposition was also guided by the national interest. Two instances are famous in Indian politics that made Congress indebted to Atal forever. 

In 1991, when the country was going through an economic crisis, Manmohan, who happened to become successor to Vajpayee as PM, presented a budget in the parliament bidding for liberalisation. This created massive chaos but the BJP urged for his uninterrupted speech. Later, Vajpayee criticized the speech with pointers but overall extended his support to which Manmohan Singh acknowledged and took him in confidence. 

It was he who first broke the ground by addressing the UNGA in Hindi. Vajpayee’s contribution to India’s infrastructure development is among the most foundational ones. It was he who weaved the road network to most rural areas by launching the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna. 

Also Read: Atal Bihari Vajpayee Centenary: A Century of Leadership, Poetry, and Vision for Bharat

On the global front, he reminded India that its own conscious efforts were crucial to place the country as a credible and unavoidable voice at global scale. The nuclear tests which defied the US dominance became the reality only because of his ‘Atal’ stand that highlighted not only India’s autonomy but also a resilience. India faced immense backlash and pressure from international actors but he navigated the nation and turned the tides into our favour withound kneeling down. 

Clinton’s visit marked the end of all ill campaign against India. He served as the prime minister for three times with one instance of only 13-day rule while the other of 13 months before a full term. While a common person would have withered in such a pressure and politically uncertain times, Vajpayee shored up the courage and formed a stable government to lead the nation on the path of progress in 1999. 

It was possible because he never compromised on ethics and believed that if the intentions are good, people will follow. Atal will probably go as the only leader in India’s independent history to have worked with ideologically adverse CPI and National Conference while in government, which emphasise his unparalleled bridge-building quality and a tall stature in Indian politics to which every other bow down to. 

In fact reconciliation was Vajpayee’s biggest tool in politics. He took the entire opposition to turn ordinance based prevention of terrorism to POTA. 

When we talk about metros, telecom and other key avenues of development, it was Vajpayee who initiated Delhi Metro rail as an easily accessible and technologically advanced transit medium. He was the person who envisaged the Golden Quadrilateral. The Telecom Policy of 1999 marked the milestone in the nation’s telecom revolution. In fact it would not be an exaggeration to say that his policies proved to be catalysts for the telecom and IT revolution, the fruit of which we are reaping even after two decades. 

India’s modern day education model will also remain in debt to his visionary leadership. He started Sarva Siksha Abhiyan, a campaign of free education to all, which is the greatest contributor to the young workforce today. His work in the education sector gave a base to the modern day superstructure of advanced education policies. 

As today marks his birth centenary, we pay tribute to this Azaatshatru and Bhishmapitamah of Indian politics. He will always be remembered as a role model and architect of modern India’s infrastructure.