Leadership CEC

On
“Atal Bihari Vajpayee”

Submitted to:
Uma Palkar

Prepared by:
Devyani Subramanian (197370592007)
MBA (Semester - IV)
Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Atal Bihari Vajpayee was an

Indian statesman who served
three terms as the Prime Minister
of India, first for a term of
13 days in 1996, then for a period
of 13 months from 1998 to 1999,
followed by a full term from 1999
to 2004. A member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he was the first Indian
prime minister not of the Indian National Congress to serve a full term in office.
He was also noted as a poet and a writer.
The administration of Narendra Modi declared in 2014 that Vajpayee's
birthday, 25 December, would be marked as Good Governance Day. In 2015,
he was conferred India's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, by
the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee. He died on 16 August 2018 of age-
related illness.
Early Life

Vajpayee was born into a Hindu Brahmin family on 25 December 1924

in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh.[1] His mother and father were Krishna Devi and
Krishna Bihari Vajpayee.[2] His father was a school teacher in their home town.
[3]
 His grandfather, Shyam Lal Vajpayee, had migrated to Morena near Gwalior
from his ancestral village of Bateshwar in the Agra district of Uttar Pradesh.[2]
Vajpayee did his schooling at the Saraswati Shishu Mandir in Gwalior. In 1934,
he was admitted to the Anglo-Vernacular Middle (AVM) School
in Barnagar, Ujjain district, after his father joined as headmaster. He
subsequently attended Gwalior's Victoria College (now Maharani Laxmi Bai
Govt. College of Excellence) to study for a BA in Hindi, English and Sanskrit. He
completed his post-graduation with an MA in Political Science from DAV
College, Kanpur.
Background

A man of the masses, firm in his political convictions. On October 13, 1999, he
took charge as Prime Minister of India for the second consecutive term at the
head of a new coalition government, the National Democratic Alliance. He was
Prime Minister for a short period in 1996. He is the first Prime Minister since
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru to have become Prime Minister of India with two
successive mandates.
A veteran Parliamentarian whose career stretches over four decades, Shri
Vajpayee has been elected to the Lok Sabha (House of the People) nine times
and to the Rajya Sabha (House of the States) twice, a record by itself.
As India’s Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, Chairperson of various important
Standing Committees of Parliament and Leader of the Opposition, he has been
an active participant in shaping India’s post-Independence domestic and
foreign policy.
Shri Vajpayee’s first brush with nationalist politics was in his student days,
when he joined the Quit India Movement of 1942 which hastened the end of
British colonial rule. A student of political science and law, it was in college that
he developed a keen interest in foreign affairs – an interest he has nourished
over the years and put to skilful use while representing India at various
multilateral and bilateral fora.
Shri Vajpayee had embarked upon a journalist’s career, which was cut short in
1951 when he joined the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the fore-runner of today’s
Bharatiya Janata Party, the leading component of the National Democratic
Alliance. A critically acclaimed poet, he still takes time off from affairs of state
of indulge in music and in a bit of gourmet cooking.
Born in the family of a humble school teacher on December 25 1924, in the
erstwhile princely state of Gwalior (now a part of the Indian State of Madhya
Pradesh), Shri Vajpayee’s rise in public life is a tribute to both his political
acumen and Indian democracy. Over the decades, he has emerged as a leader
who commands respect for his liberal worldview and commitment to
democratic ideals.
An ardent champion of women’s empowerment and social equality, Shri
Vajpayee believes in a forward-looking, forward moving India, a strong and
prosperous nation confident of its rightful place in the comity of nations. He
stands for an India anchored in 5000 years of civilisational history, ever
modernising, ever renewing, ever re-energising itself to meet the challenges of
the next 1000 years.
India’s second highest civilian honour, the Padma Vibhushan, was conferred
upon him in recognition of his selfless dedication to his first and only love,
India, and his more than half-a-century of service to society and the nation. In
1994, he was named India’s ‘Best Parliamentarian.’ The citation read: “True to
his name, Atalji is an eminent national leader, an erudite politician, a selfless
social worker, forceful orator, poet and litterateur, journalist and indeed a
multi-faceted personality..Atalji articulates the aspirations of the masses.. his
works ever echo total commitment to nationalism.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee was born on 25 December 1924 in Gwalior, Madhya

Pradesh to a middle-class Brahmin family of Shri Krishna Bihari Vajpayee and
Smt. Krishna Devi. Pandit Shyam Lal Vajpayee, the grandfather of Atal Bihari
Vajpayee, had migrated to Gwalior from their ancestral village Bateshwar in
Uttar Pradesh. His father was a school master and a poet. Atal Bihar Vajpayee
completed his schooling from Saraswati Shishu Mandir, Gorkhi in Gwalior. He
completed his graduation in Hindi, Sanskrit, and English from Victoria College
in Gwalior, now known as Laxmi Bai College. Thereafter, he studied in DAV
College, Kanpur and completed his M.A. in Political Science with a first-class
degree.

He is fondly called ‘Baapji’ by his close relatives and friends. He remained

single for his entire life and later adopted a daughter named Namita. He loves
Indian music and dance. Atal Bihari Vajpayee is a nature lover, and Manali in
Himachal Pradesh is one of his favourite retreats.

He retired from politics due to health issues and was known to be suffering
from dementia and diabetes. Close aides said that he failed to recognise
people and mostly stayed at home, except for his check-ups that were
conducted at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
Positions held by Atal Bihari Vajpayee

 In 1957, he was elected as a member of the 2nd Lok Sabha.

 From 1957 to 1977, he was the Leader of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh in the
Parliament.
 In 1962, he became a member of the Rajya Sabha.
 From 1966 to 1967, he was the Chairman of the Committee on
Government Assurances.
 In 1967, he was elected as a member of the 4th Lok Sabha for the
second term.
 From 1967 to 1970, he remained the Chairman of the Committee on
Public Accounts.
 From 1968 to 1973, he served as the President of the Bharatiya Jana
Sangh.
 In 1971, he was elected as a member of the 5th Lok Sabha for the third
term.
 In 1977, he was elected as a member of the 6th Lok Sabha for the fourth
term.
 From 1977 to 1979, he was the Union Cabinet Minister of External
Affairs.
 From 1977 to 1980, he was one of the founders and members of the
Janata Party.
 In 1980, he was elected as a member of the 7th Lok Sabha for the fifth
term.
 From 1980 to 1986, he was the President of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
 From 1980 to 1984, in 1986 and from 1993 to 1996, he was the Leader
of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Parliament.
 In 1986, he became the member of the Rajya Sabha. He was made the
member of the General Purposes Committee.
 From 1988 to 1990, he remained the member of the Business Advisory
Committee and the House Committee.
 From 1990 to 1991, he was the Chairman of the Committee on Petitions.
 In 1991, he was elected as a member of the 10th Lok Sabha for the sixth
term.
 From 1991 to 1993, he was the Chairman of the Committee on Public
Accounts.
 From 1993 to 1996, he was the Chairman of the External Affairs
Committee. He was also the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
  In 1996, he was elected as a member of the 11th Lok Sabha for the
seventh term.
 From 16 May 1996 to 31 May 1996, he served his first term as the Prime
Minister of India.
 From 1996 to 1997, he was the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
 From 1997 to 1998, he was the Chairman of the External Affairs
Committee.
 In 1998, he was elected as a member of the 12th Lok Sabha for the
eighth term.
 From 1998 to 1999, he served as the Prime Minister of India for the
second time. He was also the External Affairs Minister and in charge of
ministries and departments that were not specifically allotted to any
minister.
 In 1999, he was elected as a member of the 13th Lok Sabha for the ninth
term.
 From 13 October 1999 to 13 May 2004, he served as the Prime Minister
of India for the third time. He was also in charge of the ministries and
departments that were not specifically allotted to any minister.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee as Prime Minister of India

 Five underground nuclear tests were conducted in May 1998 in the

deserts of Pokhran in Rajasthan.
 During late 1998 and early 1999, Atal Bihari Vajpayee initiated a
diplomatic peace process with Pakistan. Aimed at resolving the decades-
old Kashmir dispute and several other conflicts, the historic Delhi-Lahore
bus service was inaugurated in February 1999.
 Infiltration of militants and non-uniformed soldiers of Pakistan in the
Kashmir Valley and their subsequent capture of border hilltops and posts
centering the town of Kargil was well-handled. Operation Vijay was
launched by the Indian Army, which was successful in pushing back the
Northern Light Infantry soldiers and Pakistani militants, recapturing
around 70% of the territory.
 In December 1999, India faced a crisis when the Indian Airlines flight IC
814 was hijacked by five terrorists and flown to Afghanistan. They
demanded the release of some terrorists in return, including Maulana
Masood Azhar. The government under extreme pressure had to send
 Jaswant Singh, the then Minister of External Affairs, with the terrorists in
Taliban-ruled Afghanistan to get a safe passage for the passengers.
 The government led by Vajpayee introduced several infrastructural and
economic reforms, encouraged investments from private and foreign
sectors and stimulated research and development.
 The then American President Bill Clinton visited India in March 2000,
which was the first visit by a U.S. president to India in 22 years.
 In an attempt to break the ice once again, Vajpayee invited the then
President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf for a joint summit in Delhi and
Agra, although the peace talks failed to attain the breakthrough.
 The Parliament faced a terrorist attack on 13 December 2001, which was
successfully handled by the security forces who gunned down the
terrorists. The terrorists were later found out to be nationals of Pakistan.
 His government passed the Prevention of Terrorism Act.
 Tithe country’s GDP grew at record levels, surpassing 6 to 7 percent,
during his tenure as the PM. The international image of the country
improved with the modernisation of industrial and public infrastructure;
increased foreign investments; booming of IT industry; creation of new
jobs; industrial expansion; and improved agricultural harvests.

Books written by Atal Bihari Vajpayee

 National Integration (1961)

 Dynamics of an Open Society(1977)
 New Dimensions of India's Foreign Policy (1979)
 Heal the Wounds: Vajpayee's appeal on Assam tragedy to the Parliament
(1983)
 Kucha Lekha, Kucha Bhashana (1996)
 Sekyularavada: Bharatiya Parikalpana (Da. Rajendra Prasada Smaraka
Vyakhyanamala) (1996)
 Bindu-Bindu Vicara (1997)
 Rajaniti ki Rapatili Rahem(1997)
 Back to Square One(1998)
 Decisive Days (1999)
 Sakti Se Santi(1999)
 Vicara-Bindu (Hindi Edition, 2000)
 Nayi Chunauti, Naya Avasara (Hindi Edition, 2002)
 India's Perspectives on ASEAN and the Asia-Pacific Region(2003)

Autobiographies
  India's Foreign Policy: New Dimensions (1977)
 Assam Problem: Repression no Solution (1981)
 Atal Bihari Vaj Mem Tina Dasaka (1992)
 Pradhan Mantri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ke Chune Hue Bhashana (2000)
 Values, Vision & Verses of Vajpayee: India's Man of Destiny (2001)

Books and albums on Poetry

 Meri Ikyavana Kavitaem(1995)

 Meri Ikyavana Kavitaem (Hindi Edition, 1995)
 Sreshtha Kabita(1997)
 Nayi Disha – An Album with Jagjit Singh (1995)
 Kya Khoya Kya Paya: Atal Bihari Vajapeyi, Vyaktitva Aur Kavitaem (Hindi
Edition, 1999)
 Samvedna – An Album with Jagjit Singh (1995)
 Twenty-One Poems (2003)

Awards Won by Atal Bihari Vajpayee

 He received the Padma Vibhushan in 1992.

 In 1993, Kanpur University honoured him with D.Litt.
 He was bestowed with the Bharat Ratna Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant
Award in 1994.
 He received the Best Parliamentarian Award in 1994.
 He was given the Lokmanya Tilak Award in 1994.
 He was honoured with India's highest civilian award - the Bharat Ratna -
in 2015.
 He was conferred Bangladesh's Liberation War Honour on 7 June 2015
by the Government of Bangladesh.
Struggle made by him

A prime minister for three times, a member of parliament for over four
decades and a Bharat Ratna awardee, the poet-politician Atal Bihari Vajpayee's
life and political career was strewn with achievements and important events,
which have helped shaped the country's future today. Here is a timeline of the
politician's career:
1942-1951: As a member of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Atal Bihari
Vajpayee was already politically active by the age of 16. He participated in the
Quit India Movement in 1942 and was arrested with his brother for 23 days.
In 1951, he started working for Bharatiya Jana Sangh, a political wing of RSS.
1957: The year was a landmark in Vajpayee's career, as it marked his entry into
the mainstream politics. In the Lok Sabha Elections that year, he contested
from three seats --Lucknow, Mathura and Balrampur. While he lost in Mathura
and Lucknow, he won in Balrampur and became a member of parliament.
1968: After the death of Jana Sangh co-founder Deendayal Upadhyaya in a
train accident, Vajpayee took over the reins of the party and became the
National President of the party.
1977: In 1975, Vajpayee was arrested along with other opposition leaders
during the Emergency period imposed by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Later, in 1977 after the emergency was withdrawn, Jan Sangh merged with
other opposition parties to form Janata Party, solely to oppose the rule of
Indian National Congress. In the general elections that year, Janata Party
emerged as the victor and formed a government led by Morarji Desai, India's
first non-Congress prime minister. Vajpayee became the Minister of External
Affairs on his cabinet.
1980: In 1977, Janata Party was dissolved after Morarji Desai resigned as prime
minister. In 1980, Vajpayee joined L.K. Advani, Bhairon Singh Shekhawat and
his other RSS, Jan Sangh colleagues to form Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and
became the party's first president.
1984: In the coming years, the party struggled and in fact in 1984 elections, BJP
was left with only two seats in the Parliament. Vajpayee led the party during
these years and supported the Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir Movement by RSS
and Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP).
1994: BJP came into prominence again after a good performance in Karnataka
Assembly Elections in 1994. The party won 40 seats out of 224 seats in the
polls. Later in 1995, in Maharashtra and Gujarat assembly elections, the party
again showed a good performance and won 65 seats and 121 seats in the
states. This brought back Vajpayee and BJP into political centre stage in the
country.
1996: In the general elections this year, BJP had the majority 161 seats and
Vajpayee became the prime minister of India. However, the party was unable
to get support from other parties to get more than 200 seats to form the
government and therefore resigned after 13 days.
1998: BJP came back into power in 1998. The National Democratic Alliance
(NDA) was formed and Vajpayee became the prime minister again. This
government was dissolved after Jayalalithaa-led AIADMK withdrew its support
after 13 months and the government came down. Vajpayee's some of the most
notable achievements, nuclear tests in Pokhran were conducted in this term;
and Lahore summit, too, took place during this period.
1999: In his third and final term as the prime minister, Vajpayee served for the
full five years. While his term took off again with another crisis -- the Kandahar
Hijack in December 1999 -- going ahead he brought some reforms which would
pave the way for country's growth. The attack on Parliament in 2001 was
another crisis Vajpayee had to battle during this term but his reformatory
projects such as -- National highway project, encouraging private sector and
foreign investments, reducing the minimum government holding in PSBs,
introduction of Asset Reconstruction Companies -- were applauded.
2004: Against the general consensus, BJP lost 2004 General Elections to
Congress-led UPA. In fact, the 13th Lok Sabha had been dissolved before the
full-term as the BJP was confident it would come back to power again.
However, the party witnessed a crushing defeat and Vajpayee refused to be
the leader of opposition taking the responsibility of the defeat. In 2005, he
declared his retirement from politics.
Here are 15 things you should know about Atal Bihari Vajpayee:

1.Atal Bihari Vajpayee was born on December 25, 1924 in Gwalior.

2. As a teenager, Vajpayee was jailed briefly for opposing British colonial
rule. He flirted with communism before choosing to support the Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Jan Sangh.
Vajpayee dropped out of law school to run an RSS magazine in the early
1950s. Later, he transcended his political roots in the RSS to emerge as the
moderate voice of the BJP.
4. His involvement in politics began as a freedom-fighter during the Quit
India Movement of 1942-1945. He started out as a communist but shed
that for a membership in the RSS
5. Vajpayee became a close follower and aide to Shyama Prasad Mookerjee,
the founder of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS), the BJP's predecessor.
6. Vajpayee was at Mookerjee's side when he went on a fast-unto-death in
Kashmir in 1953 to protest against the system of carrying a permit for
entering the state and the "inferior" treatment of Indian citizens visiting
Kashmir, as also the special treatment accorded to Kashmir because it had a
Muslim majority. Mookerjee's fast and protest ended the identity card
requirement, and hastened the integration of Kashmir into the Indian
Union. But Mookerjee died after weeks of weakness, illness and
confinement in jail. These events were a watershed moment for the young
Vajpayee.
7. Taking the baton from Mookerjee, Vajpayee won his first election to
Parliament in 1957.
8. Vajpayee served the Lok Sabha, the lower house of parliament, for 10
terms that began in 1957 and concluded in 2009.
9. Vajpayee was the first head of government from outside the Congress
party to serve a full five-year term.
10. Vajpayee first became Prime Minister in 1996 after four decades in
opposition. He lasted only 13 days as prime minister for lack of numbers.
The lack of a stable majority ended his second stint in power from 1998
after 13 months. His government collapsed after AIADMK supremo J
Jayalalithaa withdrew her support from the coalition.
11. Riding high on the success of the Kargil War, Vajpayee was re-elected in
1999 at the head of a more stable coalition that lasted its full term.
12. An orator par excellence, Vajpayee had earned much fame as India's
external affairs minister in Prime Minister Morarji Desai government during
which tenure he delivered a widely acclaimed speech to the United Nations
General Assembly in Hindi.
13. Undeterred by party hawks who accused him of embarking on a
misdirected visit to Pakistan in 1999, Vajpayee rode triumphantly into
Lahore aboard a bus.
Leadership Traits

Here are 7 lessons on what every young Indian can learn from him:
1. Big Places don’t define your lives.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee was born in Gwalior. Yet, he became the Prime Minister of
India three times (May 16 1996, to June 1, 1996, 1998 to 1999 and 1999 to
2004).

The place we are born doesn’t define what we can accomplish in life. Atal
Bihari made his own path and fought to do big things. .We can make big
differences regardless of our origins, is all up to us.

2. Do not let Money kill your dreams.

Your parents may not be wealthy and powerful, but why should you let that
dull your dreams?

Vajpayee’s father Krishna Bihari Vajpayee was a school teacher and his mother,
Krishna Devi, a housewife. Nevertheless, Atal Bihari had big dreams, and he
followed them!

So if you never doubt your ability on accomplishing your dream, you can
definitely get there.

3. Don’t let the world affect you with their opinions.

A year after India won its freedom, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)
was abandoned. But Vajpayee, who was a member of the RSS, never gave up
on his ideologies.

He was a founder member of the Bharatiya Jan Sangh, the political parent of

the Bharatiya Janata Party.

After the Jan Sangh became part of the Janata Party, the issue of dual
membership was raised.
Atal, along with other former Jan Sangh ministers in Morarji Desai’s Janata
Party government was told to give up their membership of the RSS, but they
refused to abandon the organisation.

Like Vajpayee, don’t let the world force their opinions on you.

If you believe in something, stick with it even if the world thinks you are
wrong.

4. No mentor? Don’t let that affect you.

Vajpayee was 29 years old when he lost his mentor, Syama Prasad Mookerjee,
who died mysteriously.

He was really upset about Mookerjee’s untimely death. Yet he carried on his
party work with other leaders, like Deen Dayal Upadhyay and L K Advani.

Having a mentor can make your path easier, but, like Vajpayee, you can forge
ahead even if you don’t have one.

5. Always learn from your past.

In the 1998’s election, the BJP won 182 seats. Again, it was short of a majority.

This time, Atal Bihari knew what he had to do. He didn’t resign like he did in
1996.

Instead, he formed an alliance with 13 partners under the banner of the

National Democratic Alliance and went on to form the government.

So, if you don’t succeed once, it does not mean you will not succeed if you try
again. Plan carefully and gather together people who will support you in your
endeavour.

6. Try your best to resolve issues peacefully.

Despite his best intentions, he was betrayed by Pakistan twice. However, he
never gave up on his dream of a harmonious relationship with India’s
neighbour.
In February 1999, he travelled to Lahore for peace talks, but got the Kargil
war in return.

2 years later, he invited Pakistan’s military dictator, General Pervez Musharraf,

for a summit in Agra to once again discuss peace. In December that year,
Parliament was attacked.

He still persevered and visited Pakistan in 2003, for the SAARC summit.

If the goal is important enough, keep trying.

India may not have succeeded in making peace with Pakistan, but it is possible
that you will achieve your goal. Few young people from both the countries are
friends and help each other.

Right now, instance, there are people from Pakistan who want to help Kerala.

7. Never give up
In 1998, the Vajpayee government lost the no-confidence motion by a single
vote.

Vajpayee refused to give up. The BJP contested the 1999 election with vigour
and won.

Sometimes, all you need is a belief, gumption and hard work. That will lead
you to success.
Today, BJP has started the Kalash Yatra to immerse our Atal Ji’s ashes in rivers
across India.
Bibliography

www.google.com
www.wikipedia.com
https://www.aiesec.in/lessons-from-atal-bihari-vajpayee/
https://www.newsbharati.com/Encyc/2018/12/25/Atal-Bihari-
Vajpayee-.amp.html
https://www.elections.in/political-leaders/atal-bihari-vajpayee.html