In 1957,Vajpayee's remark on Kashmir policy - "Hum Yudh jeeth gaye, sandhi har gaye, ab kashmir ka 1/3 hissa pakistan ke saath hain" In 1957 about peace with Pakistan "Main Shanti chahta hoon lekin kabristan ki nahin, jeevan ki. Aap agar yudh se bhagenge, to yudh aap ke peeche bhagega, par woh jo dhairya se yudh ka saamna karega woh na sirf apni hak ki raksha karegaa, shanti bhi sthapith karega" Dec 1997 to Times of India - "Sawaal yeh nahin hain ki pradhan mantri kaisa ho, sawaal yeh hai ki desh kaisa ho" Parliament in 1961- "If we have reservation in services on the grounds of religion, national spirit will never grow in the country. Will you ask someone his religion before giving a job?

Saturday, February 2, 2013

Vajpayee popularity more than Indira Gandhi

Taken from this India Today Article
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/charisma-that-binds-atal-bihari-vajpayee-outshines-indira-gandhi/1/247608.html

Charisma that binds: Moderate Vajpayee outshines aggressive and decisive Indira Gandhi as India's best PM

 | January 25, 2013 | 17:33
Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi (Right), Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi (Right), Atal Bihari Vajpayee
India's voters denied Atal Bihari Vajpayee a second consecutive five-year term as prime minister in 2004,
 but his popularity has only increased since he left office. In our January 2013 poll, for the first time, 
Vajpayee has overtaken Indira Gandhi as the most preferred Indian prime minister of all time. 
The outcome is somewhat counter-intuitive. India is passing through a phase of very weak national leadership across the political spectrum. In such a context, the strong and decisive Indira Gandhi would 
have been an obvious favourite from the past. But respondents have chosen the genial and conciliatory Vajpayee.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Indira Gandhi
Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi
Perhaps a nation in crisis is looking for a man of stature and a man of consensus to taper over the several political faultiness that have paralysed governance. Vajpayee, after all, ran a giant, inclusive 22-party coalition for six years with considerably greater ease than Manmohan Singh or Sonia Gandhi has managed (with fewer allies) in either UPA 1 or UPA 2. For the UPA, coalition politics is only a ruse to justify various acts of misgovernance. Vajpayee's NDA, on the other hand, pushed through several tough reforms which in fact benefited UPA 1 by delivering rapid growth. In an era which is likely to be defined by coalition politics and not single-party rule, 
a leader needs to carry different voices with him or her, something Indira Gandhi may not have 
 managed had she not led a single-party government. What also goes in Vajpayee's favour was his ability to rise above the narrow interests of either BJP or RSS. Much like Indira Gandhi, he was larger than the party he belonged to. Importantly, his geniality was never a mask for unprincipled compromise. His leadership style has several lessons for aspirants in both BJP and Congress. BJP 's frontrunner Narendra Modi must learn from Vajpayee the art of inclusive politics and the value of humility in public life. Rahul Gandhi, the frontrunner for Congress, must learn the skills of treating allies as equal partners, not inconvenient subordinates.



URL for this article :
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/charisma-that-binds-atal-bihari-vajpayee-outshines-indira-gandhi/1/247608.html