Atal Bihari Vajpayee, born in the family of a humble school teacher on December 25, 1924 in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India, is the first Prime Minister from outside the Indian National Congress party to serve a full five-year term. His birthday was the day when Mahatma Gandhi was elected the Congress president for the first and the last time. He was the Prime Minister of India in 1996, and again from 13th October, 1998 until 19th May, 2004. The image one most identifies with the former Prime Minister is that of a liberal, a leader who reached out again and again to Pakistan even after an unfairly fought and hard-won Kargil war, a leader who worked to solve the Kashmir crisis, who spoke of ‘insaniyat’ above all else. 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.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee is a native of Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh. He holds a masters degree in political science and was educated at the Victoria College, Gwalior and DAV College, Kanpur. He is also a poet and writer, and has published several volumes of poetry, essays and speeches. Vajpayee’s involvement in politics began as a freedom – fighter during the Quit India Movement of 1942 to 1945. 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. He was first elected to parliament in 1957 as a member of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS), a forerunner of the BJP. In 1977 the BJS joined three other parties to form the Janata Party, which led a government that lasted until July 1979. As foreign minister in the Janata government, Vajpayee earned a reputation for improving relations with Pakistan and China. In 1980, following a split in the Janata Party, Vajpayee helped the BJS to reorganize itself as the BJP. 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, in elections in which the BJP won a record number of seats, but he was forced to make a shaky alliance with regional parties and BJP became the first non-Congress Party which completed its full 5-year term. In late 1998 and early 1999, Vajpayee began a push for a full-scale diplomatic peace process with Pakistan. With the historic inauguration of the Delhi-Lahore bus service in February 1999, Vajpayee initiated a new peace process aimed towards permanently resolving the Kashmir dispute and other territorial, nuclear, strategic conflicts with Pakistan. After successfully completing 5 years in the Prime Minister’s office, Vajpayee announced his retirement in December 2005.

On 25 December 2014 the office of President of India announced the Bharat Ratna award, India’s highest civilian honour, to Vajpayee. In a special gesture, the President of India conferred Bharat Ratna to Atal Bihari Vajpayee in his residence on 27 March 2015. 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’. His birth anniversary is established as “Good Governance Day” in 2014 to honor him by fostering awareness among the Indian people of accountability in government. In keeping with this principle, the Government of India has decreed “Good Governance Day” to be a working day for the government.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee, born in the family of a humble school teacher on December 25, 1924 in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India, is the first Prime Minister from outside the Indian National Congress party to serve a full five-year term. His birthday was the day when Mahatma Gandhi was elected the Congress president for the first and the last time. He was the Prime Minister of India in 1996, and again from 13th October, 1998 until 19th May, 2004. The image one most identifies with the former Prime Minister is that of a liberal, a leader who reached out again and again to Pakistan even after an unfairly fought and hard-won Kargil war, a leader who worked to solve the Kashmir crisis, who spoke of ‘insaniyat’ above all else. 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.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee is a native of Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh. He holds a masters degree in political science and was educated at the Victoria College, Gwalior and DAV College, Kanpur. He is also a poet and writer, and has published several volumes of poetry, essays and speeches. Vajpayee’s involvement in politics began as a freedom – fighter during the Quit India Movement of 1942 to 1945. 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. He was first elected to parliament in 1957 as a member of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS), a forerunner of the BJP. In 1977 the BJS joined three other parties to form the Janata Party, which led a government that lasted until July 1979. As foreign minister in the Janata government, Vajpayee earned a reputation for improving relations with Pakistan and China. In 1980, following a split in the Janata Party, Vajpayee helped the BJS to reorganize itself as the BJP. 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, in elections in which the BJP won a record number of seats, but he was forced to make a shaky alliance with regional parties and BJP became the first non-Congress Party which completed its full 5-year term. In late 1998 and early 1999, Vajpayee began a push for a full-scale diplomatic peace process with Pakistan. With the historic inauguration of the Delhi-Lahore bus service in February 1999, Vajpayee initiated a new peace process aimed towards permanently resolving the Kashmir dispute and other territorial, nuclear, strategic conflicts with Pakistan. After successfully completing 5 years in the Prime Minister’s office, Vajpayee announced his retirement in December 2005.

On 25 December 2014 the office of President of India announced the Bharat Ratna award, India’s highest civilian honour, to Vajpayee. In a special gesture, the President of India conferred Bharat Ratna to Atal Bihari Vajpayee in his residence on 27 March 2015. 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’. His birth anniversary is established as “Good Governance Day” in 2014 to honor him by fostering awareness among the Indian people of accountability in government. In keeping with this principle, the Government of India has decreed “Good Governance Day” to be a working day for the government.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee, born in the family of a humble school teacher on December 25, 1924 in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India, is the first Prime Minister from outside the Indian National Congress party to serve a full five-year term. His birthday was the day when Mahatma Gandhi was elected the Congress president for the first and the last time. He was the Prime Minister of India in 1996, and again from 13th October, 1998 until 19th May, 2004. The image one most identifies with the former Prime Minister is that of a liberal, a leader who reached out again and again to Pakistan even after an unfairly fought and hard-won Kargil war, a leader who worked to solve the Kashmir crisis, who spoke of ‘insaniyat’ above all else. 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.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee is a native of Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh. He holds a masters degree in political science and was educated at the Victoria College, Gwalior and DAV College, Kanpur. He is also a poet and writer, and has published several volumes of poetry, essays and speeches. Vajpayee’s involvement in politics began as a freedom – fighter during the Quit India Movement of 1942 to 1945. 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. He was first elected to parliament in 1957 as a member of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS), a forerunner of the BJP. In 1977 the BJS joined three other parties to form the Janata Party, which led a government that lasted until July 1979. As foreign minister in the Janata government, Vajpayee earned a reputation for improving relations with Pakistan and China. In 1980, following a split in the Janata Party, Vajpayee helped the BJS to reorganize itself as the BJP. 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, in elections in which the BJP won a record number of seats, but he was forced to make a shaky alliance with regional parties and BJP became the first non-Congress Party which completed its full 5-year term. In late 1998 and early 1999, Vajpayee began a push for a full-scale diplomatic peace process with Pakistan. With the historic inauguration of the Delhi-Lahore bus service in February 1999, Vajpayee initiated a new peace process aimed towards permanently resolving the Kashmir dispute and other territorial, nuclear, strategic conflicts with Pakistan. After successfully completing 5 years in the Prime Minister’s office, Vajpayee announced his retirement in December 2005.

On 25 December 2014 the office of President of India announced the Bharat Ratna award, India’s highest civilian honour, to Vajpayee. In a special gesture, the President of India conferred Bharat Ratna to Atal Bihari Vajpayee in his residence on 27 March 2015. 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’. His birth anniversary is established as “Good Governance Day” in 2014 to honor him by fostering awareness among the Indian people of accountability in government. In keeping with this principle, the Government of India has decreed “Good Governance Day” to be a working day for the government.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee, born in the family of a humble school teacher on December 25, 1924 in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India, is the first Prime Minister from outside the Indian National Congress party to serve a full five-year term. His birthday was the day when Mahatma Gandhi was elected the Congress president for the first and the last time. He was the Prime Minister of India in 1996, and again from 13th October, 1998 until 19th May, 2004. The image one most identifies with the former Prime Minister is that of a liberal, a leader who reached out again and again to Pakistan even after an unfairly fought and hard-won Kargil war, a leader who worked to solve the Kashmir crisis, who spoke of ‘insaniyat’ above all else. 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.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee is a native of Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh. He holds a masters degree in political science and was educated at the Victoria College, Gwalior and DAV College, Kanpur. He is also a poet and writer, and has published several volumes of poetry, essays and speeches. Vajpayee’s involvement in politics began as a freedom – fighter during the Quit India Movement of 1942 to 1945. 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. He was first elected to parliament in 1957 as a member of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS), a forerunner of the BJP. In 1977 the BJS joined three other parties to form the Janata Party, which led a government that lasted until July 1979. As foreign minister in the Janata government, Vajpayee earned a reputation for improving relations with Pakistan and China. In 1980, following a split in the Janata Party, Vajpayee helped the BJS to reorganize itself as the BJP. 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, in elections in which the BJP won a record number of seats, but he was forced to make a shaky alliance with regional parties and BJP became the first non-Congress Party which completed its full 5-year term. In late 1998 and early 1999, Vajpayee began a push for a full-scale diplomatic peace process with Pakistan. With the historic inauguration of the Delhi-Lahore bus service in February 1999, Vajpayee initiated a new peace process aimed towards permanently resolving the Kashmir dispute and other territorial, nuclear, strategic conflicts with Pakistan. After successfully completing 5 years in the Prime Minister’s office, Vajpayee announced his retirement in December 2005.

On 25 December 2014 the office of President of India announced the Bharat Ratna award, India’s highest civilian honour, to Vajpayee. In a special gesture, the President of India conferred Bharat Ratna to Atal Bihari Vajpayee in his residence on 27 March 2015. 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’. His birth anniversary is established as “Good Governance Day” in 2014 to honor him by fostering awareness among the Indian people of accountability in government. In keeping with this principle, the Government of India has decreed “Good Governance Day” to be a working day for the government.