Saturday, 28 March 2015

Malnutrition In India:Truth Behind The Growth *(Bhupesh Kumar Mandal) - The World Bank estimates that India is one of the highest ranking countries in the world for the number of children suffering from malnutrition :(

Malnutrition In India: Truth Behind The Growth

The World Bank estimates that India is one of the highest ranking countries in the world for the number of children suffering from malnutrition :( 



Malnutrition in India


The World Bank estimates that India is one of the highest ranking countries in the world for the number of children suffering from malnutrition. The prevalence of underweight children in India is among the highest in the world, and is nearly double that of Sub-Saharan Africa with dire consequences for mobility, mortality, productivity and economic growth.[1]


The 2011 Global Hunger Index (GHI) Report ranked India 15th, amongst leading countries with hunger situation. It also places India amongst the three countries where the GHI between 1996 and 2011 went up from 22.9 to 23.7, while 78 out of the 81 developing countries studied, including Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Kenya, Nigeria, Myanmar, Uganda, Zimbabwe and Malawi, succeeded in improving hunger condition.[2]

India is one of the fastest growing countries in terms of population and economics, sitting at a population of 1.2 billion and growing at 1.5%–1.7% annually (from 2001–2007).[3][4] India's Gross Domestic Product growth was 9.0% from 2007 to 2008; since Independence in 1947, its economic status has been classified as a low-income country with majority of the population at or below the poverty line.[5]

Though most of the population is still living below the National Poverty Line, its economic growth indicates new opportunities and a movement towards increase in the prevalence of chronic diseases which is observed in at high rates in developed countries such as United States, Canada and Australia. The combination of people living in poverty and the recent economic growth of India has led to the co-emergence of two types of malnutrition: undernutrition and overnutrition.[6]

Malnutrition refers to the situation where there is an unbalanced diet in which some nutrients are in excess, lacking or wrong proportion.[7] Simply put, we can categorise it to be under-nutrition and over-nutrition. Despite India's 50% increase in GDP since 1991,[8] more than one third of the world's malnourished children live in India. Among these, half of them under 3 are underweight and a third of wealthiest children are over-nutriented.[9]

One of the major causes for malnutrition in India is gender inequality. Due to the low social status of Indian women, their diet often lacks in both quality and quantity. Women who suffer malnutrition are less likely to have healthy babies. In India, mothers generally lack proper knowledge in feeding children. Consequently, new born infants are unable to get adequate amount of nutrition from their mothers.

Deficiencies in nutrition inflict long-term damage to both individuals and society. Compared with their better-fed peers, nutrition-deficient individuals are more likely to have infectious diseases such as pneumonia and tuberculosis, which lead to a higher mortality rate. In addition, nutrition-deficient individuals are less productive at work. Low productivity not only gives them low pay that traps them in a vicious circle of under-nutrition,[10] but also brings inefficiency to the society, especially in India where labour is a major input factor for economic production.[11] On the other hand, over-nutrition also has severe consequences. In India national obesity rates in 2010 were 14% for women and 18% for men with some urban areas having rates as high as 40%.[12] Obesity causes several non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancers and chronic respiratory diseases.[10]

Subodh Varma, writing in The Times of India, states that on the Global Hunger Index India is on place 67 among the 80 nations having the worst hunger situation which is worse than nations such as North Korea or Sudan. 25% of all hungry people worldwide live in India. Since 1990 there has been some improvements for children but the proportion of hungry in the population has increased. In India 44% of children under the age of 5 are underweight. 72% of infants and 52% of married women have anaemia. Research has conclusively shown that malnutrition during pregnancy causes the child to have increased risk of future diseases, physical retardation, and reduced cognitive abilities.[13]

Contents


Nutritional trends of various demographic groups

Many factors, including region, religion, and caste affect the nutritional status of Indians. Living in rural areas also contribute to nutritional status.[14]

Socio-economic status

In general, those who are poor are at risk for under-nutrition,[15] while those who have high socio-economic status are relatively more likely to be over-nourished. Anaemia is negatively correlated with wealth.[14]

When it comes to child malnutrition, children in low-income families are more malnourished than those in high-income families. Some cultural beliefs that may lead to malnutrition is religion. Among these is the influence of religions, especially in India are restricted from consuming meat. Also, other Indians are strictly vegan, which means, they do not consume any sort of animal product, including dairy and eggs. This is a serious problem when inadequate protein is consumed because 56% of poor Indian household consume cereal to consume protein. But unfortunately, the type of protein that cereal contains does not parallel to the proteins that animal product contain (Gulati, 2012).[16] Children of Muslim households and those belonging to scheduled castes or tribes also face higher rates of malnourishment. 

This phenomenon is most prevalent in the rural areas of India where more malnutrition exists on an absolute level. Whether children are of the appropriate weight and height is highly dependent on the socio-economic status of the population.[17] Children of families with lower socio-economic standing are faced with sub-optimal growth. While children in similar communities have shown to share similar levels of nutrition, child nutrition is also differential from family to family depending on the mother's characteristic, household ethnicity and place of residence. It is expected that with improvements in socio-economic welfare, child nutrition will also improve.[18]

Region

Under-nutrition is more prevalent in rural areas, again mainly due to low socio-economic status. Anaemia for both men and women is only slightly higher in rural areas than in urban areas. For example, in 2005, 40% of women in rural areas, and 36% of women in urban areas were found to have mild anaemia.[14]
In urban areas, overweight status and obesity are over three times as high as rural areas.[14]

In terms of geographical regions, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Bihar have very high rates of under-nutrition. States with lowest percentage of under-nutrition include Mizoram, Sikkim, Manipur, Kerala, Punjab, and Goa, although the rate is still considerably higher than that of developed nations. Further, anaemia is found in over 70% of individuals in the states of Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Haryana, and Jharkhand. Less than 50% of individuals in Goa, Manipur, Mizoram, and Kerala have anaemia.[19]
Punjab, Kerala, and Delhi also face the highest rate of overweight and obese individuals.[14]

Religion

Studies show that individuals belonging to Hindu, Jain or Muslim backgrounds in India tend to be more malnourished than those from Sikh or Christian backgrounds.[20]

Management

The Government of India has launched several programs to converge the growing rate of under nutrition children. They include ICDS, NCF, National Health Mission.

Midday meal scheme in Indian schools

The Akshaya Patra Foundation runs the world's largest NGO-run midday meal programme serving freshly cooked meals to over 1.3 million school children in government and government-aided schools in India. This programme is conducted with part subsidies from the Government and partly with donations from individuals and corporations. The meals served by Akshaya Patra complies with the nutritional norms given by the government of India and aims to eradicate malnutrition among children in India.The midday meal programme was started on 15 August 1995.

Integrated child development scheme

The Government of India has started a program called Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) in the year 1975. ICDS has been instrumental in improving the health of mothers and children under age 6 by providing health and nutrition education, health services, supplementary food, and pre-school education.The ICDS national development program is one of the largest in the world. It reaches more than 34 million children aged 0–6 years and 7 million pregnant and lactating mothers. Other programs impacting on under-nutrition include the National Midday Meal Scheme, the National Rural Health Mission, and the Public Distribution System (PDS). The challenge for all these programs and schemes is how to increase efficiency, impact and coverage.

National Children's Fund

The National Children's Fund was created during the International Year of the Child in 1979 under the Charitable Endowment Fund Act, 1890. This Fund Provides support to the voluntary organisations that help the welfare of kids.

National Plan of Action for Children

India is a signatory to the 27 survival and development goals laid down by the World Summit on children 1990. In order to implement these goals, the Department of Women & Child Development has formulated a National Plan of Action on Children. Each concerned Central Ministries/Departments, State Governments/U.Ts. and Voluntary Organisations dealing with women and children have been asked to take up appropriate measures to implement the Action Plan. These goals have been integrated into National Development Plans. A Monitoring Committee under the Chairpersonship of Secretary (Women & Child Development) reviews the achievement of goals set in the National Plan of Action. All concerned Central Ministries/Departments are represented on the Committee.

15 State Govts. have prepared State Plan of Action on the lines of National Plan of Action specifying targets for 1995 as well as for 2000 and spelling out strategies for holistic child development.

United Nations Children's Fund

Department of Women and Child Development is the nodal department for UNICEF. India is associated with UNICEF since 1949 and is now in the fifth decade of cooperation for assisting most disadvantaged children and their mothers. Traditionally, UNICEF has been supporting India in a number of sectors like child development, women's development, urban basic services, support for community based convergent services, health, education, nutrition, water & sanitation, childhood disability, children in especially difficult circumstances, information and communication, planning and programme support. 

India is presently a member on the UNICEF Executive Board till 31 December 1997. The board has 3 regular sessions and one annual session in a year. Strategies and other important matters relating to UNICEF are discussed in those meetings. A meeting of Government of India and UNICEF officials was concurred on 12 November 1997 to finalise the strategy and areas for programme of cooperation for the next Master Plan of operations 1999–2002 which is to synchronise with the Ninth Plan of Government of India.[21]

National Health Mission


National Rural Health Mission

The National Rural Health Mission of India mission was created for the years 2005–2012, and its goal is to "improve the availability of and access to quality health care by people, especially for those residing in rural areas, the poor, women, and children."
The subset of goals under this mission are:

  • Reduce infant mortality rate (IMR) and maternal mortality ratio (MMR)
  • Provide universal access to public health services
  • Prevent and control both communicable and non-communicable diseases, including locally endemic diseases
  • Provide access to integrated comprehensive primary healthcare
  • Create population stabilisation, as well as gender and demographic balance
  • Revitalize local health traditions and mainstream AYUSH
  • Finally, to promote healthy life styles
The mission has set up strategies and action plan to meet all of its goals.[22]

Sanitation


Despite of economic growth in India, India’s hunger is still worse than North Korea or Sudan. And a child raised in India is more likely to be malnourished than Somalia. Various studies suggest that the biggest reason for India’s malnutrition is poor sanitation. Because of poor sanitation situation, more children in India than North Korea, Sudan and Somalia are exposed to bacteria. The bacteria sickens them, and make it hard for children to consume nutrients, which results in malnutrition. 620 million people in India don’t have a toilet in their house and they use public toilet or just outside. 

In addition, the air quality in India is among the worst in the world. As India developed, the more wastes India produce. And it leads to more poor sanitation. UNICEF is recognizing the poor sanitation as one of the reasons for malnutrition. In 2012, UNICEF made a report that malnutrition is based entirely on lack of the food. But now, UNICEF and many charitable organizations are saying that poor sanitation is one of the biggest reasons of malnutrition. Currently, the India government is working to solve malnutrition problem by making more foods. But a lot of authorities in India are saying they should change their plan for malnutrition based on sanitation problem.

See also


General:


Further reading

Measham, Anthony R.; Meera Chatterjee (1999). Wasting away: the crisis of malnutrition in India. World Bank Publications. ISBN 0-8213-4435-8


Delhi - Sports Badminton #SainaNehwal : Saina Nehwal creates history, becomes world No.1 | साइना नेहवाल ने रचा इतिहास,बनीं दुनिया की पहली भारतीय नंबर 1 बैडमिंटन खिलाड़ी

Sports  Badminton:

Saina Nehwal creates history, becomes world No. 1

साइना नेहवाल ने रचा इतिहास,बनीं दुनिया की पहली भारतीय नंबर 1 बैडमिंटन खिलाड़ी

READ MORE World Badminton Rankings|Saina Nehwal|Ratchanok Intanon|India Open Super Series|Carolina Marin
Saina Nehwal creates history, becomes world No. 1
Saina reached the summit after Ratchanok Intanon  defeated Carolina Marin in the first semifinal of the India Open Super Series.
NEW DELHI: Saina Nehwal on Saturday etched her name in the history books when she became the first Indian female shuttler to reach the world No.1 ranking.

Saina reached the summit after Ratchanok Intanon defeated All England Badminton champion Carolina Marin in the first semifinal of the India Open Super Series badminton tournament in New Delhi on Saturday.

The Olympic bronze medallist is in the hunt for her maiden India Open crown as she reached her maiden semifinal at the event on Friday by beating Indonesia's Hana Ramadhini 21-15, 21-12 at the Siri Fort Sports Complex.

Saina led 10-6 early on but Hana blasted off four straight points to catch up with the Indian. However, Saina slowly increased the gap with her rival to eventually win the first game.

The Indian dished out a better game in the second, as she entered the break with a healthy 11-4 lead and capitalized on the advantage as her opponent crumbled.

Saina will play Japan's Yui Hashimoto in the second semifinal on Saturday. 
 
 
साइना नेहवाल ने रचा इतिहास,बनीं दुनिया की पहली भारतीय नंबर 1 बैडमिंटन खिलाड़ी
 
भारत में इन दिनों क्रिकेट का बुखार छाया हुआ है और टीम इंडिया जब चुनौती में थी सभी की नजर धोनी की टीम पर थी लेकिन सेमीफाइनल में ऑस्ट्रेलिया से हार के बाद भारतीय दर्शक मायूस हो गए थे।

लेकिन भारतीय खेल इतिहास की महानतम बैडमिंटन खिलाड़ी साइना नेहवाल ने देशवासियों को अपने खेल से खुश कर दिया है। नेहवाल बैडमिंटन में चीनी बादशाहत खत्म करते हुए वर्ल्ड नंबर वन बन गई हैं।

साइना वर्ल्ड नंबर वन की रैंकिंग छूने वाली भारत की पहली महिला खिलाड़ी भी बन गई हैं। योनेक्स सनराइज इंडियन ओपन बैडमिंटन के सेमीफाइनल में पहुंचने के साथ ही उन्होंने यह उपलब्धि हासिल की।

शुक्रवार को क्वार्टर फाइनल में इंडोनेशिया की हाना रामधिनी को हराकर सेमीफाइनल में प्रवेश किया था और इसके बाद महज एक जीत ही उन्हें नंबर वन बनाने के लिए पर्याप्त थी जिसे आज उन्होंने हासिल कर लिया।

वर्ल्ड बैडमिंटन फेडरेशन की रैंकिंग में दुनिया की सबसे बड़ी शटलर बनने के लिए उन्हें अब खिताबी जीत की जरूरत नहीं नहीं है। फाइनल में पहुंचकर भी वह इस सरताज को पहनने के काबिल हो जाएंगी। हालांकि साइना यह साफ कर देती हैं कि उनकी इस उपलब्धि के लिए भले ही मीडिया उत्साहित है, लेकिन विश्वास मानिए वह बिलकुल भी चिंतित नहीं हैं।

साइना ने हाना को 40 मिनट में 21-15, 21-12 से पराजित किया। साइना याद दिलाती हैं कि वर्ल्ड नंबर बनने की कगार पर वह 2010 में भी थीं। यही कारण है कि इस वक्त उनका ध्यान सिर्फ और सिर्फ अच्छा खेलने पर है। वह सभी टूर्नामेंट जीतना चाहती हैं और अच्छी बात यह है कि वह इस वक्त अच्छा खेल रही हैं। साइना यह भी कहती हैं कि वर्ल्ड नंबर वन बनने से कहीं ज्यादा महत्वपूर्ण है निरंतरता।

रैंकिंग कई बार सच्चाई को बयां नहीं करती है। इसका उदाहरण वर्तमान वर्ल्ड नंबर वन चीन की ली जू रुई हैं। यह सभी जानते हैं कि वह चोटिल हैं और पिछले कुछ टूर्नामेंट नहीं खेल पाई हैं। इस वजह से उन्हें कई महत्वपूर्ण अंक गंवाने पड़े हैं। उन्हें पूरा विश्वास है कि ली ठीक होकर जब कोर्ट में उतरेंगी तो अपने इस रैंकिंग को वापस पाने के लिए कोई कसर नहीं छोड़ेंगी।

साइना कहती हैं कि उनके लिए महत्वपूर्ण यह है कि वह दुनिया के पहले पांच खिलाड़ियों में पिछले सात सालों से बनी हुई हैं। कई खिलाड़ी ऐसे भी हैं जो पहले 20 में भी नहीं आ पाते हैं और वह लंबे समय से इस रैंकिंग पर हैं, इसके लिए वह भाग्यशाली हैं। उनकी शुरू से ही यह कोशिश है कि वह सर्वश्रेष्ठ बनना चाहती हैं और आगे भी उनका यही लक्ष्य रहेगा।

लिन डान को इंडोनेशिया के टॉमी सुगियार्तो ने 21-17, 15-21, 21-17 से हराया। आरएमवी गुरूसाईदत्त को भी अंतिम आठ में चीनी क्वालीफायर जुई सांग ने 15-21, 21-18, 21-13 से हराया, जबकि टॉप सीड जारगेंसन को हराने वाले एचएस प्रणय को डेनमार्क के विक्टर एक्सलसेन ने 16-21, 21-19, 21-18 से पराजित कर सेमीफाइनल में जगह बनाई।
 

Friday, 27 March 2015

Delhi #AAP: दिल्ली में चबाने वाले तंबाकू पर पाबंदी

Delhi #AAP: दिल्ली में चबाने वाले तंबाकू पर पाबंदी

27 mar 2015
चबाए जाने वाले तंबाकू पर रोक
दिल्ली सरकार ने फ़ैसला लिया है कि वह सोमवार से हर तरह के चबाए जाने वाले तंबाकू उत्पादों जैसे गुटखा, खैनी और ज़र्दा की बिक्री, ख़रीद और भंडारण पर रोक लगाने के लिए अधिसूचना जारी करेगी.
समाचार एजेंसी पीटीआई ने दिल्ली के स्वास्थ्य मंत्री सत्येंद्र जैन के हवाले से कहा, "हमने दिल्ली में सोमवार से चबाए जाने वाले तंबाकू पर रोक के लिए अधिसूचना जारी करने का फ़ैसला किया है. इसके तहत, किसी को भी चबाए जाने वाले तंबाकू की बिक्री, ख़रीद या भंडारण की अनुमति नहीं होगी."
उन्होंने ये भी कहा कि इस रोक को सुनिश्चित करने के लिए दिल्ली पुलिस की प्रवर्तन टीम के साथ स्वास्थ्य विभाग को शहर में छापे मारने को भी कहा गया है.
जैन ने कहा, ''टीम को इस पर सक्रिय रहने के लिए कहा गया है.''
स्वास्थ्य विभाग के अधिकारियों ने बताया कि सितंबर 2012 में दिल्ली सरकार की एक अधिसूचना आई थी, जो शहर में गुटखा को प्रतिबंधित करने के लिए सुप्रीम कोर्ट द्वारा जारी किए गए कई निर्देशों के अनुरूप थी.

फिर से प्रस्ताव बना

फ़ाइल फोटो
अधिकारियों का कहना है कि चूंकि प्रतिबंध में 'गुटखा' शब्द का जिक्र था, इसलिए तंबाकू के खुदरा विक्रेताओं ने अलग-अलग पाउचों में गुटखा में शामिल चीजों (सुपारी और तंबाकू) को बेचना शुरू कर दिया. इसलिए, गुटखा को प्रतिबंधित करना कारगर नहीं हो सका.
दिल्ली में स्वास्थ्य विभाग ने बीते साल चबाए जाने योग्य सभी तरह के तंबाकू को प्रतिबंधित करने के लिए एक नए प्रस्ताव पर काम करना शुरू किया था.

Bharat Ratna: Indian Pride 'Atal Bihari Vajpayee' : वाजपेयी 'भारत रत्न' से सम्मानित - President Pranab Mukherjee conferred #BharatRatna on Ex. PM #AtalBihariVajpayee at his residence

:President Pranab Mukherjee conferred on Ex. PM at his residence

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वाजपेयी 'भारत रत्न' से सम्मानित

28 March 2015



वाजपेयी को सम्मानित करते राष्ट्रपति प्रणब मुखर्जी

पूर्व प्रधानमंत्री अटल बिहारी वाजपेयी को शुक्रवार को उनके आवास पर भारत रत्न से सम्मानित किया गया.
राष्ट्रपति प्रणब मुखर्जी ने वाजपेयी के आवास पर जाकर उन्हें देश के सर्वोच्च नागरिक सम्मान 'भारत रत्न' से सम्मानित किया.
वित्त मंत्री अरुण जेटली ने संवाददाताओं को बताया कि स्वास्थ्य कारणों के चलते राष्ट्रपति ने वाजपेयी को उनके आवास पर सम्मानित किया.

राष्ट्रपति का आभार 

नरेंद्र मोदी ने संवाददाताओं से कहा, "मैं व्यक्तिगत तौर पर राष्ट्रपति का आभार व्यक्त करता हूँ कि उन्होंने वाजपेयी को उनके घर पर भारत रत्न से सम्मानित किया."
मोदी ने ट्वीट किया,"अटलजी ने अपना जीवन भारत भक्ति को दिया. आज उन्हें भारत रत्न से सम्मानित किया गया."
उन्होंने लिखा, “मेरे जैसे करोड़ों देशवासियों के लिए आज का दिन ऐतिहासिक है, जब अटल जी को भारत रत्न दिया जा रहा है."



प्रणब मुखर्जी (फ़ाइल फोटो)
जेटली ने कहा, "वाजपेयी जी अपने स्वास्थ्य कारणों से अपने घर पर ही रहते हैं. राष्ट्रपति ने उन्हें उनके घर पर भारत रत्न से सम्मानित किया."
जेटली ने बताया कि वाजपेयी को सम्मानित किए जाने के दौरान उपराष्ट्रपति हामिद अंसारी, प्रधानमंत्री नरेंद्र मोदी, पूर्व प्रधानमंत्री मनमोहन सिंह, भाजपा के वरिष्ठ नेता लाल कृष्ण आडवाणी, मंत्रिपरिषद के कई सदस्यों समेत आरएसएस प्रमुख मोहन भागवत भी मौजूद थे.





Bharat Ratna

Atal Bihari Vajpayee



Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Atal Bihari Vajpayee (cropped).jpg
11th Prime Minister of India
In office
19 March 1998 – 19 May 2004
President K. R. Narayanan A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
Preceded by I. K. Gujral
Succeeded by Manmohan Singh
In office
16 May 1996 – 1 June 1996
President Shankar Dayal Sharma
Preceded by P. V. Narasimha Rao
Succeeded by H. D. Deve Gowda
Minister of External Affairs
In office
26 March 1977 – 28 July 1979
Prime Minister Morarji Desai
Preceded by Yashwantrao Chavan
Succeeded by Shyam Nandan Prasad Mishra
Personal details
Born 25 December 1924 (age 90) Gwalior State
Political party Bharatiya Janata Party (1980–present)
Other political
affiliations
Bharatiya Jana Sangh (Before 1980)
Alma mater Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University
Profession Poet Journalist Political activist
Religion Hinduism
Signature
Atal Bihari Vajpayee (born 25 December 1924) is an Indian statesman who was the eleventh Prime Minister of India, first for 13 days in 1996 and then from 1998 to 2004. A leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he is the first Prime Minister from outside the Indian National Congress party to serve a full five-year term.

A parliamentarian for over four decades, Vajpayee was elected to the Lok Sabha (the lower house of India's Parliament) nine times, and twice to the Rajya Sabha (upper house). He also served as the Member of Parliament for Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, until 2009, when he retired from active politics due to health concerns. Vajpayee was one amongst the founder members of erstwhile Bharatiya Jana Sangh, which he had also headed. He was also the Minister of External Affairs in the cabinet of Morarji Desai. When Janata government collapsed, Vajpayee restarted the Jana Sangh as the Bharatiya Janata Party in 1980.

On 25 December 2014 the office of President of India announced the Bharat Ratna award, India's highest civilian honour, to Vajpayee. His birthday, 25 December, was declared "Good Governance Day".[1][2]

Contents


Early life and education

Vajpayee was born to Krishna Devi and Krishna Bihari Vajpayee on 25 December 1924 in a middle-class Brahmin family in Gwalior. His grandfather, Pandit Shyam Lal Vajpayee, had migrated to Morena, Gwalior from his ancestral village of Bateshwar, Uttar Pradesh. His father, Krishna Bihari Vajpayee, was a poet and a schoolmaster in his hometown. Vajpayee studied from the Saraswati Shishu Mandir, Gorkhi, Bara, Gwalior.[citation needed] Vajpayee attended Gwalior's Victoria College (now Laxmi Bai College) and graduated with distinction in Hindi, English and Sanskrit. He completed his post-graduation with an M.A. in Political Science from Dayanand Anglo-Vedic College, Kanpur, and was awarded a first-class degree.[3][4]
His activism started with the Arya Kumar Sabha of Gwalior, the youth wing of the Arya Samaj, of which he became the General Secretary in 1944. He also joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as a swayamsevak in 1939. Influenced by Babasaheb Apte, he attended the Officers Training Camp of the RSS during 1940-44 and became a "full-time worker" in 1947, technically a pracharak. He gave up studying law due to the partition riots. He was sent as a vistarak (probationary pracharak) to Uttar Pradesh and quickly began working for the newspapers of Deendayal Upadhyaya, Rashtradharma (a Hindi monthly), Panchjanya (a Hindi weekly) and the dailies Swadesh and Veer Arjun. Vajpayee never married and has remained a bachelor his entire life.[4][5][6]

Early political career (1942–1975)

Vajpayee's first exposure to politics was in August 1942, when he and his elder brother Prem were arrested for 23 days during the Quit India movement, when he was released only after giving a written undertaking, expressly declaring not to participate in any of the anti-British struggle and naming the underground leaders, leading the 'Quit India Movement'.[7]
In 1951, he was seconded by the RSS, along with Deendayal Upadhyaya, to work for the newly formed Bharatiya Jana Sangh, a Hindu right-wing political party associated with the RSS. He was appointed as a national secretary of the party in charge of the Northern region, based in Delhi. 

He soon became a follower and aide of party leader Syama Prasad Mookerjee. In 1954, Vajpayee was with Mookerjee when he went on a fast-unto-death in Kashmir to protest against perceived inferior treatment of non-Kashmiri Indian visitors to the state. Mookerjee died in prison during this strike. In 1957, Vajpayee was elected to the Lok Sabha, the lower house of India's Parliament, from Balrampur. There, his oratorial skills so impressed Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru that he predicted that Vajpayee would someday become India's Prime Minister.[8]

By virtue of his oratorical and organizational skills, he became the face of the Jana Sangh. After the death of Deendayal Upadhyaya, the mantle of the leadership of Jana Sangh fell on the shoulders of a young Vajpayee. He became the national president of the Jana Sangh in 1968 and, along with Nanaji Deshmukh, Balraj Madhok and L. K. Advani, led the Jana Sangh to national prominence.


Foreign Minister Vajpayee (far right) and Prime Minister Morarji Desai (third from right, front row) with US President Jimmy Carter during his 1978 visit to India.

Political career (1975–1995)

From 1975 to 1977, Vajpayee was arrested along with several other opposition leaders during the Internal Emergency imposed by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi of the Indian National Congress party. In 1977, heeding the call of social reformer Jayaprakash Narayan for all the opposition parties to unite against the Congress, Vajpayee merged the Jana Sangh into the newly formed grand-alliance, the Janata Party.[9]

Following Janata's victory in the 1977 general elections, he became the Minister of External Affairs in Prime Minister Morarji Desai's cabinet. As foreign minister, that year Vajpayee became the first person to deliver a speech to the United Nations General Assembly in Hindi. By the time the Janata government crumbled in 1979, Vajpayee had established himself as an experienced statesman and a respected political leader.[9]

The Janata Party was dissolved soon after Morarji Desai resigned as Prime Minister in 1979. The Jana Sangh had devoted its political organisation to sustain the coalition and was left exhausted by the internecine political wars within the Janata Party.

Vajpayee joined many of his Bharatiya Jana Sangh and Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh colleagues, particularly his long-time friends L. K. Advani and Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, to form the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 1980. He became the BJP's first President. He emerged as a strong critic of the Congress (I) government that followed the Janata government.

While the BJP opposed the Sikh militancy that was rising in the state of Punjab, it also blamed Prime Minister Indira Gandhi for her "divisive and corrupt politics that fostered such militancy at the expense of national unity and integrity."[10] The BJP did not support Operation Blue Star and strongly protested against the violence towards Sikhs in Delhi that broke out in 1984 following the assassination of Indira Gandhi by two of her Sikh bodyguards.[11] The BJP was left with only two parliamentary seats in the 1984 elections. During this period, Vajpayee remained at the centre-stage as party President and Leader of the Opposition in the Parliament.

The BJP became the political voice of the Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir Movement, which was led by activists of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the RSS, and which sought to build a temple dedicated to Lord Rama in Ayodhya.
Victory in the assembly elections in Gujarat and Maharashtra in March 1995, and a good performance in the elections to the Karnataka assembly in December 1994, propelled the BJP to greater political prominence. During a BJP conference in Mumbai in November 1995, BJP President L.K. Advani declared that Vajpayee would become the Prime Minister of India. The BJP won in the May 1996 parliamentary elections.[12]

As prime minister of India (1996 to 2004)

Vajpayee served as the Prime Minister of India from 1996 to 2004 in three non-consecutive terms.

First term: May 1996


The BJP grew in strength in the early 1995s riding on pro nationalistic sentiments. In the 1996 general elections, the BJP emerged as the single largest party in the Lok Sabha. The then president Shankar Dayal Sharma invited Vajpayee to form the government. Vajpayee was sworn in as the 10th Prime Minister of India, but the BJP failed to muster enough support from other parties to obtain a majority. He resigned after 13 days, when it became clear that he could not garner a majority.

Second term: 1998–1999


After the fall of the two United Front governments between 1996 and 1998, the Lok Sabha was dissolved and fresh elections were held. The 1998 general elections again put the BJP ahead of others. This time, a cohesive bloc of political parties joined the BJP to form the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), and Vajpayee was sworn in as the Prime Minister.[13]

The NDA proved its majority in the parliament. The government lasted 13 months until mid-1999 when the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) under J. Jayalalitha withdrew its support to the government.[14] The government lost the ensuing vote of confidence motion in the Lok Sabha by a single vote on 17 April 1999. As the Opposition was unable to come up with the numbers to form the new government, the Lok Sabha was again dissolved and fresh elections were held. Vajpayee remaining the Prime Minister until the elections were held.

Nuclear tests


See also: Operation Shakti
In May 1998, India conducted five underground nuclear tests in Pokhran desert in Rajasthan, 24 yrs after India conducted its first nuclear test Pokhran-I in 1974. This test is called Pokhran-II. The tests were held just a month after the government had been in power. Two weeks later, Pakistan responded with its own nuclear tests making it the newest declared nation with nuclear weapons.

While some nations, such as Russia and France, endorsed India's right to defensive nuclear power,[15] others including the United States, Canada, Japan, Britain and the European Union imposed sanctions on information, resources and technology to India. In spite of the intense international criticism and the steady decline in foreign investment and trade, the nuclear tests were popular domestically. Effectively the international sanctions failed completely in swaying India's decision to weaponize their nuclear capability, something that was planned for and anticipated by the Vajpayee administration.[16]

The Lahore summit

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 conflicts with Pakistan. The resultant Lahore Declaration espoused a commitment to dialogue, expanded trade relations and mutual friendship and envisaged a goal of denuclearised South Asia. This eased the tension created by the 1998 nuclear tests, not only within the two nations but also in South Asia and the rest of the world.

The Vajpayee-led government was faced with two crises in mid-1999. The AIADMK had continually threatened to withdraw from the coalition and national leaders repeatedly flew down from Delhi to Chennai to pacify the AIADMK chief J. Jayalalitha. However, in May 1999, the AIADMK did pull the plug on the NDA, and the Vajpayee administration was reduced to a caretaker status pending fresh elections scheduled for October 1999.

Kargil War



Prime Minister Vajpayee flashes the V sign after the Parliamentary elections in which his coalition emerged the victors. His handling of the Kargil crisis is believed to have played a big part in garnering the votes.

Further information: Kargil War
It was revealed that militants and non-uniformed Pakistani soldiers (many with official identifications and Pakistan Army's custom weaponry) had infiltrated into the Kashmir Valley and captured control of border hilltops, unmanned border posts and were spreading out fast. The incursion was centred around the town of Kargil, but also included the Batalik and Akhnoor sectors and artillery exchanges at the Siachen Glacier.

Indian army units were swiftly rushed into Kashmir in response. Operation Vijay, launched in June 1999, saw the Indian military fighting thousands of militants and soldiers in the midst of heavy artillery shelling and while facing extremely cold weather, snow and treacherous terrain at the high altitude. Over 500 Indian soldiers were killed in the three-month-long Kargil War, and it is estimated around 600-4,000 Pakistani militants and soldiers died as well. India pushed back the Pakistani militants and Northern Light Infantry soldiers. Almost 70% of the territory was recaptured by India. With news of Pakistan planning to launch a nuclear attack in the face of a loss in the war with India, Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was summoned to the US by Bill Clinton and warned against any such action.[15][citation needed]

After Pakistan suffered heavy losses, and with both the United States and China refusing to condone the incursion or threaten India to stop its military operations, General Musharraf was recalcitrant and Nawaz Sharif asked the remaining militants to stop and withdraw to positions along the LoC. The militants were not willing to accept orders from Sharif but the NLI soldiers withdrew.[15] The militants were killed by the army or forced to withdraw in skirmishes which went beyond the announcement of withdrawal by Pakistan. The victory in Kargil bolstered the image of Vajpayee and he was hailed across the country for his bold and strong leadership. In 26 July 2012, designated as 'Kargil Vijay Diwas', BJP President Nitin Gadkari unveiled a wax statue of Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Mumbai. The statue is to be put up at a wax museum in Lonavala.[17]

Third term: 1999–2004


In the 1999 general elections, the BJP-led NDA won 303 seats out of the 543 seats in the Lok Sabha, in the aftermath of the Kargil operations,[18] thereby securing a comfortable and stable majority. On 13 October 1999, Atal Bihari Vajpayee took oath as Prime Minister of India for the third time.

Indian Airlines hijack

A national crisis emerged in December 1999, when Indian Airlines flight IC 814 from Kathmandu to New Delhi was hijacked by five terrorists and flown to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.[19] The hijackers made several demands including the release of certain terrorists like Maulana Masood Azhar from prison. Under extreme pressure, the government ultimately caved in. Jaswant Singh, the Minister for External Affairs at the time, flew with the terrorists to Afghanistan and exchanged them for the passengers.


A.B.Vajpayee meeting President Bush in the White House in 2001.

National highway project, foreign policy and economic reforms


During his administration, Vajpayee introduced many domestic economic and infrastructural reforms, including encouraging the private sector and foreign investments, reducing governmental waste, encouraging research and development and privatisation of some government owned corporations.[20] The UPA Government on July 1, 2013 accepted before Supreme Court that National Democratic Alliance Government lead by Vajpayee has developed half the roads in last 32 years in their 5 year term.[21]

Vajpayee's pet projects were the National Highway Development Project and Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana.
In March 2000, Bill Clinton, the President of the United States, paid a state visit to India. His was the first state visit to India by a US President in 22 years. President Clinton's visit to India was hailed as a significant milestone in the relations between the two countries. Since the visit came barely two years after the Pokhran tests, and one year after the Kargil invasion and the subsequent coup in Pakistan, it was read to reflect a major shift in the post-Cold War U.S. foreign policy. The Indian Prime Minister and the U.S. President discussed strategic issues, but the major achievement was a significant expansion in trade and economic ties. The Historic Vision Document on the future course of relations between the two countries was signed by Prime Minister Vajpayee and President Clinton during the visit.

Domestically, the BJP-led government was under constant pressure from its ideological mentor, the RSS, and the hard-line VHP to enact the Hindutva agenda. But owing to its dependence on coalition support, it was impossible for the BJP to push items like building the Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya, repealing Article 370 which gave a special status to the state of Kashmir, or enacting a uniform civil code applicable to adherents of all religions. On 17 January 2000, there were reports of the RSS and some BJP hard-liners threatening to restart the Jan Sangh, the precursor to the BJP, because of their discontent over Atal Bihari Vajpayee rule. Former president of the Jan Sangh Balraj Madhok had written a letter to the then RSS chief Rajendra Singh for support.[22] The BJP was however accused of saffronising (saffron being the colour of the flag of the RSS, symbol of the Hindu nationalism movement) the official state education curriculum and apparatus. 

Also, Home Minister L.K. Advani and Human Resource Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi were indicted in the 1992 Babri Mosque demolition case for inciting a mob of activists. Vajpayee himself came under public scrutiny owing to his controversial speech one day prior to the mosque demolition.[23] The RSS also routinely criticised the government for free-market policies which introduced foreign goods and competition at the expense of 'swadeshi' industries and products.
Vajpayee's administration earned the ire of many trade unions and government workers for its aggressive campaign to privatise government owned corporations. 

Vajpayee promoted pro-business, free market reforms to reinvigorate India's economic transformation and expansion that were started by the former PM Narasimha Rao but stalled after 1996 due to unstable governments and the 1997 Asian financial crisis. Increased competitiveness, extra funding and support for the information technology sector and high-tech industries, improvements in infrastructure, deregulation of trade, investments and corporate laws —- all increased foreign capital investment and set in motion an economic expansion.


Atal Bihari Vajpayee with Russia's president Vladimir Putin.
These couple of years of reform however were accompanied by infighting in the administration and confusion regarding the direction of government. Vajpayee's weakening health was also a subject of public interest, and he underwent a major knee-replacement surgery at the Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai to relieve great pressure on his legs.

In March 2001, the Tehelka group released the sting operation video named operation west end showing videos of the BJP President Bangaru Laxman, senior army officers and NDA members accepting bribes from journalists posing as agents and businessmen. The Defence Minister George Fernandes was forced to resign following the Barak Missile Deal Scandal, another scandal involving the botched supplies of coffins for the soldiers killed in Kargil, and the findings of an inquiry commission that the Government could have prevented the Kargil invasion.[24]

Vajpayee again broke the ice in the Indo-Pak relations by inviting Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf to Delhi and Agra for a joint summit and peace talks. His second major attempt to move beyond the stalemate involved inviting the man who had planned the Kargil invasions. But accepting him as the President of Pakistan, Vajpayee chose to move forward. But after three days of much fanfare, which included Musharraf visiting his birthplace in Delhi, the summit failed to achieve a breakthrough as President Musharraf declined to leave aside the issue of Kashmir.

In 2001, the Vajpayee government launched the famous Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, which aimed at improving the quality of education in primary and secondary schools.

2001 attack on Parliament


On 13 December 2001, a group of masked, armed men with fake IDs stormed the Parliament building in Delhi. The terrorists managed to kill several security guards, but the building was sealed off swiftly and security forces cornered and killed the men, who were later proven to be Pakistan nationals. Coming just three months after the September 11 attacks upon the United States, this fresh escalation instantly enraged the nation. Although the Government of Pakistan officially condemned the attack, Indian intelligence reports pointed to a conspiracy rooted in Pakistan.

Prime Minister Vajpayee ordered a mobilisation of India's military forces, and as many as 500,000 servicemen amassed along the international boundary bordering Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Kashmir. Pakistan responded with the same. Vicious terrorist attacks and an aggressive anti-terrorist campaign froze day-to-day life in Kashmir, and foreigners flocked out of both India and Pakistan, fearing a possible war and nuclear exchange. For as long as two years, both nations remained perilously close to a terrible war.

The Vajpayee administration also passed the Prevention of Terrorist Act against vigorous opposition of non-NDA parties. Human rights groups have condemned the act which gives wide authority to the government to crack down and hold anybody. Its repeal was advocated by human rights organisations.[25]

But the biggest political disaster hit his government between December 2001 and March 2002: the VHP held the Government hostage in a major standoff in Ayodhya over the Ram temple. At the 10th anniversary of the destruction of the Babri mosque, the VHP wanted to perform a shila daan, or a ceremony laying the foundation stone of the cherished temple at the disputed site. Tens of thousands of VHP activists amassed and threatened to overrun the site and forcibly build the temple. A grave threat of not only communal violence, but an outright breakdown of law and order owing to the defiance of the government by a religious organisation hung over the nation.[9] But to the relief of Vajpayee, his government was able to tide over this crisis rather smoothly.

2002 Gujarat violence


Main article: 2002 Gujarat violence
In 2002, Hindu-Muslim violence in the state Gujarat killed more than 1,000 people. Vajpayee officially condemned the violence.[26]
Later, Vajpayee made controversial remarks: "Wherever there are Muslims in large numbers, they do not want to live in peace."[27] The remarks were clarified by the Prime Minister's Office as being taken out of context.
Vajpayee was accused of doing nothing to stop the violence, and later admitted mistakes in the handling the events.[28] K.R. Narayanan, then president of India, also blamed Vajpayee's government for failing to quell the violence.[29]

Remainder of term

In late 2002 and 2003 the government pushed economic reforms, and the country's GDP growth accelerated at record levels, exceeding 6–7%. Increasing foreign investment, modernisation of public and industrial infrastructure, the creation of jobs, a rising high-tech and IT industry and urban modernisation and expansion improved the nation's international image. Good crop harvests and strong industrial expansion also helped the economy.

The government reformed the tax system, increased the pace of reforms and pro-business initiatives, major irrigation and housing schemes and so on. The political energies of the BJP shifted to the rising urban middle-class and young people, who were positive and enthusiastic about the major economic expansion and future of the country. He faced stiff opposition from other equally strong originations within Sangh Parivar such as the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh and the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh. However, he continued with his aggressive economic reform policy.

In August 2003, he announced before the parliament his "absolute last" effort to achieve peace with Pakistan. Although the diplomatic process never truly set-off immediately, visits were exchanged by high-level officials and the military stand-off ended. The Pakistani President and Pakistani politicians, civil and religious leaders hailed this initiative as did the leaders of America, Europe and much of the world. In July 2003, Prime Minister Vajpayee, visited China, and met with various Chinese leaders. He recognised Tibet as a part of China, which was welcomed by the Chinese leadership, who in the following year, recognised Sikkim, as a part of India. Sino-Indian Relations, improved greatly, in the following years.

In November–December 2003, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won three major state elections, fought mainly on development issues, without ideological campaigns. A major public relations campaign was launched to reach out to Muslims and stop the 2002 communal riots controversy from haunting the party's future. But the attention of the media and of millions now moved from Vajpayee to his more possible successor, L.K. Advani, although the question was never directly raised or contested in any way. Vajpayee's age, failing health and diminished physical and mental vigour were obvious factors in such speculation.

Advani assumed greater responsibilities in the party, and although no perceivable conflict has been known to arise between the longtime friends and political colleagues, several embarrassing statements were made. Once Vajpayee said "Advani would lead the BJP in the elections," prompting Advani to clarify that he would merely lead the election campaign, not the party. And then the BJP President Venkaiah Naidu used mythological references to depict Vajpayee as Vikas Purush (Man of Progress) and Advani as Loh Purush(Iron Man).
As the BJP prepared for general elections in 2004, Vajpayee was still the choice of the BJP and of the wider NDA, for the Prime Minister's job.

On 29 June 2002 Atal Bihari Vajpayee while dedicating his collection of poems translated in Tamil, recalled his friendship with C.N. Annadurai and claimed that he was not opposed to Hindi and appreciated Vajpayee's language skills.[30][31] Annadurai however, was against imposition of the language.[32]

2004 general election

The NDA was widely expected to retain power after the 2004 general election. The 13th Lok Sabha had been dissolved before the completion of its term to capitalise on the perceived 'feel-good factor' and BJP's recent successes in the Assembly elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. The BJP hoped to capitalise on the slogan "India Shining" and released many ads touting the economic growth of the nation.

However, the coalition lost almost half its seats, with several prominent cabinet ministers being defeated. The Indian National Congress, led by Sonia Gandhi, became the single largest party and, along with many minor parties, formed the United Progressive Alliance. With the conditional support of the leftist parties from the outside, the UPA formed a government under Dr Manmohan Singh. Vajpayee resigned as Prime Minister and promised co-operation to the new government.[33] Accepting moral responsibility for the defeat, he decided not to take up the position of the Leader of the Opposition and passed on the leadership mantle to Lal Krishna Advani. However, he retained his post as Chairman of the NDA.

Travel and diplomatic assignments

Vajpayee has visited several countries, first in 1965 as a member of the Parliamentary Goodwill Mission to East Africa. He was also part of the Parliamentary Delegations to Australia in 1967, the European Parliament in 1983, and Canada in 1987. He was part of the official Indian Delegation to Commonwealth Parliamentary Association meetings held in Canada in 1966 and 1994, Zambia in 1980, and the Isle of Man in 1984. He was in the Indian delegation to the Inter-Parliamentary Union Conference, Japan in 1974, Sri Lanka in 1975; and Switzerland in 1984. He was a regular at the UN General Assembly, having been part of the Indian Delegations in 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1996. He led the Indian Delegation to the Human Rights Commission Meeting at Geneva in 1993 and the Delegation of Standing Committees of External Affairs to Gulf countries i.e. Bahrain, Oman and Kuwait.

Later career

In December 2005, Vajpayee announced his retirement from active politics, declaring that he would not contest in the next general election. In a famous statement at the BJP's silver Jubilee rally at Mumbai's historic Shivaji Park, Vajpayee announced that "Henceforth, Lal Krishna Advani and Pramod Mahajan will be the Ram-Laxman (the two godly brothers much revered and worshipped by Hindus) of the BJP."[34]
Vajpayee was referred to as the Bhishma Pitamah of Indian Politics by Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh during his speech in the Rajya Sabha.[35]

Vajpayee was hospitalised at AIIMS for chest infection and fever on 6 February 2009. He was put on ventilator support as his condition worsened but he eventually recuperated and was later discharged.[36] Unable to participate in the campaign for the 2009 general election due to his poor health, he wrote a letter urging voters to back the BJP. His protege Lalji Tandon was able to retain the Lucknow seat even though the NDA suffered electoral reverses all over the country. The tall apolitical image of Vajpayee was said to be the main reason behind Lalji's success in Lucknow even though BJP's performance was poor elsewhere in Uttar Pradesh.[37]

Personal life and interests

Vajpayee has an adopted daughter, Namita. He is fond of Indian music and dance. He loves nature and one of his favourite retreats is Manali in Himachal Pradesh.[38]
Vajpayee has said about his poetry, "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 despirited voice of dejection but the stirring shout of victory."[39]

Health issues

Vajpayee underwent knee replacement surgery at Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai in 2001. He suffered a stroke in 2009 which impaired his speech.[40] His health has been a major source of concern and those in the know say he is often confined to a wheelchair and fails to recognise people. He is said to be suffering from dementia and long-term diabetes. He is not known to have attended any public event in recent years. He rarely ventures out of the house, except for checkups at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences.[41]

Not many people visit him these days. The only regular visitors are N M Ghatate, Vajpayee's friend of nearly six decades, Advani and B C Khanduri, who come to sit by his side or ask his daughter about his health. Dr. Manmohan Singh makes regular inquiries about his health and never misses wishing Vajpayee personally on his birthday.[40]

Awards



Positions held


  • 1951 – Founder-Member, Bharatiya Jana Sangh (B.J.S) [44]
  • 1957 – Elected to 2nd Lok Sabha
  • 1957–77 – Leader, Bharatiya Jana Sangh Parliamentary Party
  • 1962 – Member, Rajya Sabha
  • 1966-67- Chairman, Committee on Government Assurances
  • 1967 – Re-elected to 4th Lok Sabha (2nd term)
  • 1967–70 – Chairman, Public Accounts Committee
  • 1968–73 – President, B.J.S.
  • 1971 – Re-elected to 5th Lok Sabha (3rd term)
  • 1977 – Re-elected to 6th Lok Sabha (4th term)
  • 1977–79 – Union Cabinet Minister, External Affairs
  • 1977–80 – Founder- Member, Janata Party
  • 1980 – Re-elected to 7th Lok Sabha (5th term)
  • 1980-86- President, Bharatiya Janata Party (B.J.P.)
  • 1980-84, 1986 and 1993–96 – Leader, B.J.P. Parliamentary Party
  • 1986 – Member, Rajya Sabha; Member, General Purposes Committee
  • 1988–90 – Member, House Committee; Member, Business Advisory Committee
  • 1990-91- Chairman, Committee on Petitions
  • 1991– Re-elected to 10th Lok Sabha (6th term)
  • 1991–93 – Chairman, Public Accounts Committee
  • 1993–96 – Chairman, Committee on External Affairs; Leader of Opposition, Lok Sabha
  • 1996 – Re-elected to 11th Lok Sabha (7th term)
  • 16 May 1996 – 31 May 1996 – Prime Minister of India
  • 1996–97 – Leader of Opposition, Lok Sabha
  • 1997–98 – Chairman, Committee on External Affairs
  • 1998 – Re-elected to 12th Lok Sabha (8th term)
  • 1998–99 – Prime Minister of India; Minister of External Affairs; and also in charge of Ministries/Department not specifically allocated to the charge of any Minister
  • 1999 – Re-elected to 13th Lok Sabha (9th term)
  • 13 Oct.1999 to 13 May 2004– Prime Minister of India and also in charge of the Ministries/Departments not specifically allocated to the charge of any Minister
  • 2004 – Re-elected to 14th Lok Sabha (10th term)

Works


Social and political


  • 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).
  • When Will atrocities on Harijans stop?: A.B. Vajpayee's speech in Rajya Sabha. (1988).
  • Kucha Lekha, Kucha Bhashana. (1996).
  • Sekyularavada: Bharatiya parikalpana (Da. Rajendra Prasada Smaraka vyakhyanamala). (1996).
  • Bindu-bindu Vicara. (1997).
  • Rajaniti Ki Rapatili Rahem. (1997).
  • Na Dainyam Na Palayanam (Hindi Edition). (1998).
  • Back to Square One. (1998).
  • Decisive Days. (1999).
  • Sakti Se Santi. (1999).
  • Vicara-bindu (Hindi Edition). (2000). ISBN 978-81-7016-475-3.
  • Nayi Chunauti, Naya Avasara (Hindi Edition). (2002). ISBN 978-8170165019.
  • India's Perspectives on ASEAN and the Asia-Pacific Region. (2003). ISBN 978-981-230-172-7.

Autobiography


  • Atal Bihari Vaj mem tina dasaka. (1992).
  • Pradhanamantri Atala Bihari Vajapeyi, chune hue bhashana. (2000).
  • Values, vision & verses of Vajpayee: India's man of destiny. (2001).
  • India's foreign policy: New dimensions. (1977).
  • Assam problem: Repression no solution. (1981).

Poetry


  • Twenty-One Poems. (2003). ISBN 978-0-670-04917-2.
  • Kya khoya kya paya: Atal Bihari Vajapeyi, vyaktitva aura kavitaem (Hindi Edition). (1999). ISBN 978-81-7028-335-5.
  • Meri ikyavana kavitaem. (1995).
  • Meri ikyavana kavitaem (Hindi Edition). (1995).
  • Sreshtha kabita. (1997).
  • Nayi Disha – an album with Jagjit Singh (1999)
  • Samvedna – an album with Jagjit Singh (2002)

Speeches


  • Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, selected speeches. (2000). ISBN 978-81-230-0834-9.
  • President's addresses, 1980–1986. (2000).
  • Presidential address. (1986).
  • Presidential address: Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha session, Bhagalpur (Bihar), 5 6 & 7 May 1972. (1972).
  • Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Pokhran