Some more...statements/quotes

• Truth cannot be hidden for fear that somebody would exploit it.
• For us Kashmir is not a pawn on the political chessboard. It is also not a part of cold war for us. It is a part and parcel of that very land my feet is standing upon.
• If Pakistan talks about Muslim genocide in Kashmir, we should talk about Hindu genocide in East Pakistan.
• The Home Minister said he is going to remove corruption in 2 years. Why 2 years? Why not 1 year? Why not 1.5 year? Which astrologer has given the home minister this date? I would like to consult and find out how long is this minister going to be in power?
• One minister told to a news reporter he cannot take bribe as he has taken the pledge. His wife can take it because she has not pledged any oath. So, does that mean when ministers take oath, even their wives must be asked to do so?
• We did not raise the slogans of "Tamil Murdabad" in Delhi, but Annadurai raised the slogan of "Hindi Murdabad" in Madras.
• I dream one day India and Pakistan would come together. If there can be a dream of united Germany, united Korea, united Vietnam, why can't be there a dream of a united India? But it cannot be fulfilled by force. It must be by change of heart.
• Shri Morarji Desai said he was thrown out of the cabinet like a piece of vegetable. I said to him - what else can you expect of a kitchen cabinet? Vegetables and kitchen cabinet go together.
• A few days ago COngress President Jagjivan Ram had said that we do not want to take away the right to property. But yesterday Smt. Savitri Shyam said this right must be removed from the Constitution. I cannot understand how this pair of Ram and Shyam from the same party speak in different voices.
• "Ekoham dwithiyo nasti" - I am the only one, there is none other. When this feeling comes it leads a person to dictatorship. Smt. Indira Gandhi must be aware of this.
• Communalism is a double edged sword. You cannot fan the flames of communalism on one hand and put them on the other.
• Like a snake charmer who keeps his snakes in a box this government keeps its problems hidden in a box and thinks they have ended (referring to Indira Gandhi govt). When the lid is removed these problems raise their hood.
• It is easy to win elections by raising slogan of "garibi hatao" but slogans do not remove poverty.
• Experience shows us that wherever there is a delay in the decision making process or unlimited discretion in decision-making powers, there is corruption. Therefore, we have been focusing on cutting back delays in the decision making as well as implementing processes.

Famous ones..collection

Reply to Lok Sabha, May 29, 1998:
"In 50 years, this country which has always given message of peace and has never sought anybody's territory has been attacked thrice. A nation of 100 crores cannot depend on charity for its national security."

I want to refer Mr. Deve Gowda to the 1996 JD Manifesto. "We will formally give a pledge of no first use of nuclear capability to Pakistan." I say to him that you have to first develop this capability before you can offer this pledge. There was a general consensus on developing this capability. The question was "when".
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Reporter: What message do you have tonight for Benazir Bhutto?
Vajpayee: Is there any harm if I send the message tomorrow morning?
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Goel(A reporter): What was your most bitter moment in life?
Vajpayee: When I was slapped by a teacher for being naughty (Shararat karne per mar padi).
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Goel(a reporter): What made you come to the highest office in India? Who do you attribute this success to?
Vajpayee: Destiny (Bhagya)
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Goel: Who is your favourite Indian leader?
Vajpayee: Our first Prime Minister Shri Nehruji

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Goel: Why did you not marry?
Vajpayee: I didn't find time to marry
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Goel: What was the most thrilling moment in life?
Vajpayee: When President Shankar Dayal Sharma called me to form the government despite our party being in a minority
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Goel: What is your most favourite place in the world?
Vajpayee: Manali, almora in India and Vancouver in Canada
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Most admirable moment:
Vajpayee: When I gave a speech in Shudh Hindi at 32 UN General Assembly
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On Pakistan's offer of friendship, Vajpayee was asked to comment:
PADOSI KEHTE HAIN KI EK HAATH SE TALLI NAHIN BAJTI, - HUMNE KAHA KI CHUTKI TO BAJ SAKTI HAI
(He was indirectly telling ek chutki se Pakistan ko terrorist camps ko maar dena hai)
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In Parliament,
Ram Vilas Paswan: Bjp bahut ram ki baatein karti hai.. par unmein koi ram nahi hai.. mera naam tho ram hi hai

Vajpayee: "Paswan ji, HARAM mein bhi Raam Hota hai"
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In Parliament on 27 may 1998:

India is now a nuclear weapon state. This is a reality that cannot be denied. It is not a conferment that we seek; nor is it a status for others to grant. It is an endowment to the nation by our scientists and engineers.

It is India's due, the right of one-sixth of human-kind.

We have not violated any international agreement either in 1974 or now, in 1998. The restraint exercised for 24 years, after having demonstrated our capability in 1974, is in itself a unique example. Restraint, however, has to arise from strength. It cannot be based upon indecision or doubt.

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Vajpayee's interview to India Today's Prabhu Chawla:
The world community should appreciate the fact that India, the second-most populous country on earth, waited for five decades before taking this step.

I would, therefore, say that the greatest meaning of the tests is that they have given India shakti, they have given India strength, they have given India self-confidence.

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Q : Will your party exploit this for political mileage?

Vajpayee: Indian democracy's greatest strength is that we have always put the nation above
politics. It happened during Indira Gandhi's time, when India first conducted the nuclear test in 1974. My own party, then the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, and other opposition parties were at the time engaged in a major political campaign against Indira Gandhi. But that fact didn't in the least prevent us from supporting the government on the issue of the nuclear test.

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Also, we should not forget that a visionary like Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru understood the importance of nuclear science and gave full personal support to the founding of a world-class nuclear establishment. All the prime ministers who followed him have continued to support India's indigenous research and development in the nuclear field. What we are doing today is to build the superstructure on that solid foundation.

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Vote of Confidence in 1999 when Vajpayee lost by one vote because of Jayalalitha:

In my public life in the Opposition never has any allegation been made against me that I have acted against the National Interest. So how can it be that all of sudden I am accused of the same ? Has being in power changed me so drastically ? Does power corrupt to this degree ? If such accusations can be made of me with merely 13 months in power, what of those who have been in power for 40 years ?

13 months are a short period of time, but we have left our foot prints in the sands time in an indelible manner to be preserved for posterity. Their consequences can be debated and criticized but can never be shrouded into irrelevance.

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Lata's voice for Geet Naya Gaata Hoon

The beautiful poem is below:

टूटे हुए तारों से फूटे बासंती स्वर
पत्थर की छाती मे उग आया नव अंकुर
झरे सब पीले पात
कोयल की कुहुक रात
प्राची मे अरुणिम की रेख देख पता हूँ
गीत नया गाता हूँ

टूटे हुए सपनों की कौन सुने सिसकी
अन्तर की चीर व्यथा पलको पर ठिठकी

हार नहीं मानूँगा,
रार नई ठानूँगा,
काल के कपाल पे लिखता मिटाता हूँ
गीत नया गाता हूँ

Samvedna

Vajpayee's letter to Clinton after 1998 tests

Taken from http://www.rediff.com/news/1998/may/13bomb2.htm

Dear Mr President

You would already be aware of the underground nuclear tests carried out in India. In this letter, I would like to explain the rationale for the tests.

I have been deeply concerned at the deteriorating security environment, specially the nuclear environment, faced by India for some years past. We have an overt nuclear weapon state on our borders, a state which committed armed aggression against India in 1962. Although our relations with that country have improved in the last decade or so, an atmosphere of distrust persists mainly due to the unresolved border problem. To add to the distrust, that country has materially helped another neighbour of ours to become a covert nuclear weapons state. At the hands of this bitter neighbour we have suffered three aggressions in the last 50 years. And for the last ten years we have been the victim of unremitting terrorism and militancy sponsored by it in several parts of our country, specially Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir. Fortunately, the faith of the people in our democratic system, as also their patriotism, has enabled India to counter the activities of the terrorists and militants aided and abetted from abroad.

The series of tests are limited in number and pose no danger to any country which has no inimical intentions towards India. We value our friendship and co-operation with your country, and you personally. We hope that you will show understanding of our concern for India's security.

I assure you that India will continue to work with your country in a multilateral or bilateral framework to promote the cause of nuclear disarmament. Our commitment to participate in non-discriminatory and verifiable global disarmament measures is amply demonstrated by our adherence to the two conventions on Biological and Chemical Weapons. In particular, we are ready to participate in the negotiations to be held in Geneva in the Conference on Disarmament for the conclusion of a fissile material cut-off treaty.

I enclose for your information the text of the press statement issued after the nuclear tests were carried out today. I close with the expression of my highest consideration for your country and yourself.

Yours sincerely,

A B Vajpayee

Vajpayee's defense strategy way back in 1974

Vajpayee was very sharp and foresighted. What step should be taken at what time before hand was known. He could sense it like a sniffer dog. In 1974 during discussion with Y.B. Chavan (The then defense minister during Indira Gandhi), Vajpayee said - "We should not put all our eggs in one basket. That would not be a good strategy and good diplomacy".

Of course, the statement of eggs in the basket was not created by Vajpayee. The fact that he used this to make a sharp point should be noticed. The defense Minister Chavan was talking about Russia and its betrayal to Sadat. Vajpayee clearly told - " I do not want to go into who betrayed whom and why. The Soviet Union will supply arms when it pleases, stops when it pleases. This has made even Egypt to look up for arms with US. We should not depend on any country".

Way back in 1974 a strategy and foresight of this nature is commendable by an Opposition leader (Vajpayee). It is essential to understand that Vajpayee knew that india has to depend upon several countries rather than one for security and weapons.

In fact Narasimha Rao began relations with Israel when he was the PM. The starting of that relationship and its immediate continuation by Vajpayee in 1998 helped the country during Kargil War. If Israel had not supplied arms and ammunition during 1998, we would have lost the war. India at that time under Vajpayee sensed the dire need and quickly approached Israel and not Russia (This was the strategy of Congress till Rao).

Sometimes crises test those people who can come out with flying colors and perhaps God wants to see such colors. Vajpayee's test was Kargil. He passed with flying colors although there were intelligence failures.

Al Gore's speech in USA about Vajpayee amidst diplomats

In today's world, it is rare to find a leader who combines the qualities of idealism and pragmatism, confidence and humility. In you, Mr. Prime Minister, we find such a leader.

As a poet, you have inspired the imagination of your people with your eloquence. As Prime Minister, you have challenged your people to act on their imagination, to create a shared vision for a united, democratic, prosperous and peaceful India, and then to make that vision a reality. You are truly a leader in both word and deed.

President John Kennedy once said, in our country, "If more politicians knew poetry, and more poets knew politics, I am convinced the world would be a little better place to live." I cannot translate that into Hindi, but Mr. Prime Minister, you embody President Kennedy's words. You know both poetry and politics, and through your inspired leadership, you are indeed making the world a better place to live.

In your poem Oonchai -- or "height" in English -- you speak of the importance of not losing touch with humanity as one rises in life. Your poem ends with a stirring line, which I would like to quote: "Never let me climb so high that I cannot bend down to embrace another human." You have dedicated your life to this noble ambition.

I am confident that India is destined for great heights. One of the World's great civilizations, India has emerged, of course, as one of it's great democracies. India's history has been turbulent at times. But your nation is on the way to overcoming these challenges by embracing change, uniting all, and setting a course for the future.

Ref:
http://www.indianembassy.org/indusrel/pm_us_2000/gore_pm_september_15_2000.htm

This interesting speech highlights one thing. Vajpayee had changed the mindset of US about India. It was reflected in the speech. Sometimes, any reader might wonder and say - "Nothing unusual about this. US does appreciate and respect and gives warm welcome of this kind if it wants to pursue diplomatic relationships. "

My reply to such a statement is that one could not have imagined that US could do such a complete U-turn in a span of 2 years. It is not possible to convince big powers to speak so much about our country and its people (in a positive manner) just to smoothen relationships. Why should US care anyways about this courtesy? They could have simply conducted a bilateral meeting and announced the change of relationships. They made it a gala event because they became genuinely interested in having diplomatic interest. It cannot be denied that the Indian lobby in US also played a great role. However, Vajpayee had given a midas touch. It worked. In fact, click here. This article says how Clinton immediately lifted sanctions within couple of months of talks with Jaswant Singh. It is a really a miracle for an ordinary citizen, but a small task for two big speakers - Vajpayee and Jaswant Singh.

Some critics may even argue that US wanted someone in Asia to counterweight China and so chose India. This is true but not the major factor that heralded a new wave of positiveness in the 2 largest democracies. Indian lobbies have been pressing for stronger relationships with India since 1995. But, US was not serious until Kargil war happened and Jaswant Singh had around 14 round of talks.

How Vajpayee changed the Highway map of India

Here's my article on this

How DRDO and Vajpayee fooled CIA

Here's my article on it

A good move by Vajpayee to allow FDI in defence in 2001

When NDA was in power in 2001, the Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha and PM Vajpayee realized the great need for tapping domestic private potential to develop defense parts. So far from 1947 till 2000, Defense was purely a Public Sector Unit (PSU) and the problem was improper access to emerging technology and huge imports of weapons and equipments from Russia and other countries. When machinery came from Israel, it helped India win the Kargil war else we would have lost. Even before war had started, Vajpayee had continued discussions with Israel to get more weapons.

Hence in 2001, 100% private participation by domestic companies(like L&T) was allowed to manufacture parts of the defense equipments like radar, parts of helicopters etc. This helped better quality and high efficiency low cost materials to be infused into defense sector. In fact, Dhruv, Tejas have become very famous and countries have signed billions of dollars since then to buy them. At the same time FDI was capped to 26%. This helped foreign companies to strike deals with India.

Vajpayee made drastic changes to Defence System Structure: The first attempt after 50 years

For all along, committees and committees have been set up from 1947-1999 to make changes in defence establishments - structural changes and cohesion amongst various components, but none took any shape. This was primarily because the bureaucracy and the polity was simply unwilling to make bold steps. Rajiv Gandhi, V.P Singh and Narasimha Rao did make an attempt towards the set up of National Security Council, but failed. The first time ever proposal was brought into reality in 1998 under specially Vajpayee's intervention. It must be understood even when proposals were thought of, Kargil happened. And post Kargil, Vajpayee set up another committee under expert K.Subramanyam and after 6 months the report was given. The report was the first of its kind as Subramanyam himself points out. It was a very comprehensive study and proposed far more changes than expected to ensure that different defence establishments can work cohesively.

Although Vajpayee took the report very seriously and made changes to defence structure as per its recommendations, there were shortcomings. But it cannot be denied that it was the first concrete attempt in 50 years that Vajpayee and his team challenged bureaucracy which was against many such changes.

Vajpayee and his coterie of leaders - Advani, Brajesh Mishra and Jaswant Singh did the following:

• Created Defence Intelligence Authority - a new body directly accountable to the Defence Minister. This agency is headed by a member whose ranking is equivalent to an Air Marshal/General and could be from any of the 3 armed forces. The person heads the already existing intelligence agencies in Army, Navy and Air Force. Such an agency is now less dependable on civilian intelligence agencies like Intelligence Bureau(IB) and Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). The dependency on IB and RAW caused major blunders in 1962 war. From those years, the armed forces have been demanding. Now, it is fulfilled.
  
• Created a Nuclear Command Authority whose directives are to be operationilized by Strategic Forces Command under the supervision of Air Marshal (or equivalent). This is solely responsible for management of strategic nuclear weapons
• Agreed to the creation of post of Chief of Defence Staff and Deputy Chief of Defence Staff, but could not make it a reality because of controversies involved between bureaucracy and armed forces w.r.t the impact such a post can create in decision making
• Created National Security Council consisting of 3 tiers:
  

  1) Strategic Policy Group (SPG) – includes Cabinet Secretary, Chiefs of Army, Navy and Air Force, (Foreign, Home, Defense, Finance) Secretary, Secretary (Defence Production), Secretary (Revenue), RBI Governor, IB chief, RAW Secretary, Dept of Atomic Energy Secretary, Secretary of Dept of Space, Scientific Advisor to Defence Minister, Chairman of Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) – responsible for short and long term security threats and policy options.

  2) National Security Advisory Board (NSAB) – consists of officials from outside the Govt who have in expertise in external security, strategic analysis, foreign affairs, defence, the armed forces, internal security, science and technology and economics.

  3) NSC Secretariat: JIC is the main one and it encompasses integrating RAW, IB Intelligence agencies along with Army, Navy, Air Force Intelligence agencies

• National Security Advisor (NSA) who acts as a main interface between these 3 tiers and PM.

In fact, B.Raman, defence analyst and a member of intelligence agency has stated that 70% of the recommendations of Subramanyam Committee have been implemented.

The major problem that draw flak from everyone was the post of NSA which got mixed with Principal Secretary (PS) to PM. Both were held by Brajesh Mishra and even Advani had difference of opinion on this as he quotes in his autobiography ("My country My life"). The 2 posts in terms of responsibilities are so huge that mixing them only dilutes the whole purpose of creating NSA.

There are several criticisms about all these changes - but it cannot be ignored that the attempt was the first of its kind and no doubt even NDA leaders admitted that further changes are required. So, one should be patient enough and expect that future governments (be it Congress or BJP) take this seriously. Failure to do so will only make these bodies useless.

Infact , J.N. Dixit who was the diplomat during the crucial years of East Asian Crisis and Sri Lankan Crisis and assisted the Congress was chosen to write the Defence Policy of the Congress in 2004 for Lok Sabha elections. The fact J.N. Dixit himself clarifies (as given by Congress manifesto) that all entities created are good, but certain changes are required to make them effective. But it appears that even after 5 years of being in power, Manmohan Singh has not given any attention to his proposed changes.

This and further the appreciation given by Subramanyam quoted as below only confirms the fact that Vajpayee took some bold decisions to change the age old norms of the Indian Defence.

"* The Government broke the taboo of 53 years on review of national security matters. This precedent will enable periodic reviews in the future.

* The reform process of national security requirements was preceded by intense debate at political level. This has helped in "cutting through the Gordian knot of sequential bureaucratic nitpicking and consequent delays."

* Recommendations and supporting arguments of the review are being published. This will add to transparency in discussion of India’s national security matters."

We should remember that the first time when new changes are done, it takes a while that it gets accepted in totality and its effectiveness proved. However, certain aspects of the brought in changes required immediate rectification and this is where Vajpayee's Govt failed.

Vajpayee- one of the 60 greatest Indians (as per survey of India Today)

http://indiatoday.digitaltoday.in/renaissance-man-3.html

The matter is presented here as is.
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A.B. VAJPAYEE — FORMER PRIME MINISTER, 1924

Even in his autumnal stillness, Atal Bihari Vajpayee defies definition. With a mischievous glint in his eyes, the man—who is now beyond the grasp of predatory headlines—doesn’t fit into the neat categorisations of leadership and greatness.

There has always been a bit of mystery, a teasing element of the unknown, about India’s first right-wing prime minister who has taken permanent residency in popular conscience.

Come to think of it, and be intrigued by the enduring enigma of Vajpayee. His party may not have a pan-Indian presence—or won an absolute majority in the Lok Sabha.

But Vajpayee, defying gravity, soars above his party, larger than its collective leadership, unblemished by its sins and transgressions.

In a party whose defining image of assertion is demolition, his name alone rhymes with moderation and consolidation. There may not be a Vajpayee cult, but Vision Vajpayee is an inspiration for true believers on the right.

In a polity characterised by the culture of personal vendetta and pettiness, he is the last custodian of dignity and decency.

And his instincts have redeemed the ideology of his political parivar.

Oh yes, his patented pause. Does it reflect an innate passivity? No, it brings out the power of silence in a country where the sloganeer’s stentorian showmanship is celebrated as politics of social justice.

His updated version of passive resistance has been a cultivated strategy, and it has worked at a time when his hyperactive colleagues could only divide.

The first genuine non-Congress prime minister to complete his full term in office, he is the original reconciler. I still remember one of my many enlightening encounters with him during his six years in office.

Once I provoked him by saying that many of his colleagues felt he was soft and not pushing his investigative agencies to go after the Gandhi dynasty.

“If I do to them what they did to their political enemies, tell me, how are we going to be different from the Congress?” he asked, looking straight into my eyes. I didn’t have anything more to say. I was sitting across from the trueconviction politician.

He has always strived to connect with even the seemingly incompatible. Connectivity for him has been an article of faith. It has been political, philosophical and, of course,geographical. It has gone beyond the realms of telecommunications and civil aviation.

Quick take Q: How many states has he been elected from? A: Four: Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat,Madhya Pradesh and Delhi Q: How many times has he been elected to the Lok Sabha? A: Ten, the latest to the 14th Lok Sabha Q: Which publications did he edit? A: The magazines Rashtradharma and Panchjanya and the dailies Swadesh and Veer Arjun Q: When was he jailed? A: In 1942 and during the Emergency from 1975-77

The first real internationalist after Nehru, he has brought India to the global high table. He has liberated India from the entrapment of Third Worldism—and the Cold War mindset. He has made anti-imperialism, a legacy of the Left liberal Congressism, redundant.

“We see that as India adjusts to globalisation, the globe is adjusting to a quiet Indianisation,” he said at the India Today Conclave in 2004. The eldest statesman of India would become the wisest of the East as well.

Today, four years after his exit from South Block, Vajpayee is not an active presence in politics. But for India, as successive opinion polls show, he is still the ideal prime minister— and the most beloved politician. Why? He doesn’t colonise media space.

He hasn’t written a bestseller. Why does he still concentrate the mind of India? The answer is his political dharma. He has singularly redefined power with a kind of sagely detachment. He withdraws to conquer; he confounds his adversaries with, well, a couplet; and he renounces only to return.

All the while, his moral universe remains intact, beyond the whirl of realpolitik, beyond the exigencies of his own party. There is a terrifying sense of calm about the man, an individual solidity that has only ensured political stability. He has changed the syntax of leadership.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee embodies the renaissance of the right, and as the only compassionate conservative India has produced, he continues to reaffirm the virtues of reconciliation in the age of confrontation.

URL for this article : http://indiatoday.digitaltoday.in/content_mail.php?option=com_content&name=print&id=6876

A permanent friendship in an unfriendly profession

Politics is a game of shrewdness and smartness. It is a game where everyone's aim is to grab power and each pursues a different agenda to achieve it. There are no permanent friends or enemies in politics and is definitely the dirtiest profession. However, it is ironically the most effective means of bringing in rapid changes that affect lives of a country or state. Many times when we have to clean the sewage we need to get into it. This is not a mandatory requirement in cleansing dirt,but surely an effective and time tested one. So is the profession of politics. In such an unfriendly atmosphere where every relation is made or broken for greedy purposes, one can rarely expect a true friendship to exist.

India, post independence has seen 2 such friendship relations. One, Nehru-Sardar, and the other Vajpayee-Advani. The timing of presence of both these pairs has changed our country in many ways, both for the better and worse. Although this article is not to highlight the Nehru-Sardar relationship, it is definitely to highlight the other example.

Both being RSS members and having served the public life for 50 years, there is no match for Advani and Vajpayee. Both have seen the most turbulent and smooth sailing times. They have faced a lot of events, disasters both in opposition and in power. What however remains an inspiration to all true friends is the understanding these two shared. I am waiting to read the book by Advani -"My country My life" not just to learn politics,but also to understand "a case of friendship in an unfriendly profession".

Leave apart the excerpts from the book, let me tell you that both these tall leaders did have differences in opinion over Modi, Kandhahar Hijacking, Ayodhya, etc. Differences must come in friendships so that they become stronger. But they never made them public (It is only now Advani has written because many people pressurized him to say what he feels about his friend Vajpayee). They conducted themselves in such a disciplined manner that their own partymen must learn from it. They never split their relationship nor the party. Even when Vajpayee was to be chosen as PM in 1996,1998 and 1999, Advani could have raised a rebellion because it was he who brought BJP to power. He never did so. He trusted his friend and he(Vajpayee) was the most acceptable face amongst all parties supporting it. Their own party people were divided between these 2 leaders in 2003 and post 2004 debacle as to who should lead. Despite all this, Advani and Vajpayee never lost temper nor accused each other of anything. They were matured and seasoned enough that they handled such situations in an audacious manner. If power was the only reason, Advani must have broken the relationship with Vajpayee after NDA defeat in 2004. He never chose to do so. Some blamed Vajpayee for Muslim appeasement while some for ignoring Hinutva by Advani. But these blame games were never done personally by both of them. Even during this crisis, their friendship never withered. Be it emergency, loss of power for 2 times (1979 and 1980's), they never cared for power at the cost of their friendship.

Advani said in a speech,"3 things that made the world look around India are 1) continuation of democracy 2) Ending of license permit raj and hence opening up of indian economy by Narasimha Rao 3)Pokhran II by Vajpayee". This statement reflects the openness of a leader who accepted the rival parties achievement and also that of his own colleague. Advani never told to anyone or any public forum that it was he who brought BJP to power and hence has the right to become PM. On the other hand it was Vajpayee who once stated that the next PM candidate is Advani. The media made a hue and cry about it and created a rift that never existed. Both leaders even at that time were strong and their bonding was never shaken. They always discussed, came to a consensus and then swung into action. This sort of seeking clarity amidst confusion and differences is unparalleled in Indian politics. Even sardar and nehru did not discuss many times because they did not share a close rappo as much as Advani-Vajpayee share.

Some of the friendships in politics which have vanished into a vacuum for the sake of power include Tony Blair-Gordon Brown, MGR-Karunanidhi, Deve Gowda and Siddaramiah and many others. What is unique to these two is that they have always found to clear their differences through discussions . In one of the excerpts I read, Advani says that he could make out anger and happiness from Vajpayee's face and vice versa and then the first thing they did was to sit down and analyze why.

Advani openly admitting that Vajpayee is truly his mentor, his leader and his inspiration cannot be simply done just for any gains for this statement by advani was made both in power and in opposition. Similarly Vajpayee admitting that he is a much misunderstood man and he is an all time comrade and colleague is a further confirmation from the other friend.

What else is more required for a friendship to sustain? Not how they stand in happiness, but in sadness and darkness. Both Vajpayee and Advani are living legends and testimonies to Indian politics post 1947. Their political life is as big as an ocean where they saw deadly sharks and friendly dolphins swim together. Their personal friendship is also as deep as an ocean, not the one that has abyss at the bottom, but one that has endless trust and understanding.

Today, I feel that this unfriendly profession has given me a role model of true friendship. All True friends in the world must at least appreciate that we have a living example of a strong friendship from a profession that breeds enmity, jealousy and hypocrisy. Perhaps as Lord Krishna said- "Learn to be like a lotus that stands unmoved and untouched by the dirt in which it grows", Vajpayee and Advani's friendship is the lotus that will continue to stand amidst the filthy politics forever, untouched and unmoved. Their party symbol is perhaps the symbolic representation of this friendship.

The clash of two invincible titans - Indira and Vajpayee

The times of Indira Gandhi and Vajpayee i.e speeches, arguments between them is perhaps the best times of Parliament sessions. On one hand you had Indira Gandhi who became monarch of India while Vajpayee became the first and the last person to criticize every such move by Indira to mar India. At the same time, Vajpayee never hesitated to praise Indira. On the other hand, we have no record of Indira praising Vajpayee. This section will contain a series of such debates between these 2 titans who could be defeated only by themselves. Both were excellent orators and diplomats and I can wholeheartedly say it was a clash of two giants. These 2 leaders transformed India. Even Nehru can be put behind. But Indira and Vajpayee reshaped, redefined and transformed India in their own way. Both were innovators, pioneers and experts in their own way. No Indian should forget both their contributions

Speech 1:
Feb 26, 1970, Lok Sabha

Vajpayee: PM (Indira) says she could deal with Bharatiya Jan Sangh in minutes. Can any democratic PM speak like this? We are engaged in ideological battle. Fight us at that level.If the people are against you, you will be defeated. She says, "I can take care of Jan Singh in 5 minutes". I said in five minutes you cannot take care even of your hair, how can you deal with us When Nehruji was angry atleast he would make a good speech. We used to tease him. But we cannot do that with Indira. She gets angry on her own.
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Speech 2:

Feb 26, 1970, Lok sabha. Indira was absent in Lok sabha, but she had attacked Vajpayee and BJS for raising Indianization slogan. She claimed Indianization defined by Vajpayee as one that spreads communalism. One must read this speech and then analyze and conclude that Indira was wrong. The following is what Vajpayee told.

Vajpayee: "These days PM is displeased with Bharatiya Jan Sangh over Indianization programme. Wherever she goes, she comes heavily upon us and does free publicity for us. We thank her for this. But she has either not understood Inidianization properly or she is deliberately trying to mislead people. Indianization is not related to Muslims alone. It includes 52 crore people of the country. Indianization is not a slogan, but a mantra of national reawakening. Nationalization means only one thing - all citizens of India, whatever their language, relations or state, have undivided and unflinching loyalty to India. India must come first, everything else afterwards. Is there anything objectionable in this? Secularism cannot be strengthened in this country by promoting Muslim communalism. Secularism is not just in Congress slogan, it is a mantra that has emerged from the country's culture. Could India have not been declared a Hindu state after independence like Pakistan declared Muslim state as theirs? Why? Because our culture does not permit it. We never said - believe in one book, have faith in one individual, otherwise you will go to hell. But today secularism means anti-Hindu. Like non-alignment this government secularism also has come into suspicion. I take pride in my Hindutva, but this does not mean I am anti-Muslim or I have a quarrel with Islam. Indianization means giving strength to unity - a unity that lies at the root of variety that lies in India which is also an index of richness of our life"

Truly this speech clearly indicates wherever Congress felt it introduced "anti-secular" word to denote all other parties while it(Congress) continued minority (Muslims) appeasement all the time. In another column I will also post all communal policies followed by the Congress. This does not mean BJP never followed any communal policies. They did. But claiming Congress is secular is a gross blunder on any citizen's part.

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Speech 3:
March 31, 1971
On Bangladesh Liberation
Vajpayee: "We congratulate Sheikh Mujibur Rehman. Nationalism cannot be based on religion. This is East Bengal's very first lesson"
Indira: "You should learn it"
Vajpayee: "We never believed in 2 nation theory. It is completely wrong. When the country was partitioned our party did not even exist. Partition took place even before our birth, and I do not want to point my finger at those responsible for it."
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Speech 4:
Feb 27, 1974
Event: Junior doctors strike in Delhi demanding Rs.500 salary, a city allowance and a non-practising allowance. The government was hell bent on breaking the strike.

Indira: "The very poorest were not complaining or non-coperating or having strikes, but the people who were comparatively better off. I cannot understand this and am surprised"

Vajpayee: "Is there a special effort needed to understand this? The very poor are mute, disorganized, suppressed for centuries, they cannot fight. They freeze to death on the footpath, they cannot loot cloth shops. They may die of starvation, but they won't raid godowns. On the other hand, those who are better off are aware and organized. They would adopt new ways of change. Those who are poor are resigned to their fate,but those who are somewhat enlightened are struggling to change their fate. This is why students, teachers, doctors, engineers are struggling today. Instead of resorting to oppression the government should try and understand their mind. People can be killed with bullets but their hearts cannot be won with bullets."
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Speech 5:
May 14, 1970:
Biwandi, a place in Maharashtra had witnessed worst communal riots
Vajpayee said that National Integration Council was set up to solve communal problems, but not all national parties including Jan Sangh was a part of it. So Vajpayee was angry and blasted at the very concept of NIC and Indira Gandhi.

Vajpayee: "Who should be included in this council depends upon her (PM Indira). But is she prepared to say anything on Muslim communalists? It is known to all that in Bhawandi the Tamir-i-Millat had vitiated the atmosphere. But did anyone name it? The Shiv Sena is being criticized and it should be..We too are being dragged in. We are not here at the PM's pleasure, we are here in spite of her. We too represent the people of the country. But when there is a question of Muslim communalism, their lips are sealed. What is Jaimat-ul-Ulema doing? What is Jaimat -i-Islami doing? What did Tamir-e-Millat do in Bhawandi?The Maharashtra government demanded a magisterial inquiry and not judicial inquiry. Since partition, the nexus between communalists and communists are on the rise and they have PM's blessings. This is the reason why communalism is growing. if Jan Sangh is wrong, show it to us and we are ready to correct it."

Indira: Sir, I am not speaking just to score points. I have never interrupted any Hon.Member while he was speeaking, I have done now because I felt it deeply, and I also have courage of conviction. Shri Vajpayee has used this occasion mainly to attack Muslims and all minorities in general. He as proclaimed with his hand raised in the old Hitler style.

Another member Shri Kanwar Lal Gupta said to Indira that Indira had taken such a training
Indira: What training I took is the business of Indian people, not yours. I do not know the words Vajpayee used, but he has challenged me for something. I would like to tell him I have never shirked a challenge, and never will. We should face the indian people.

Vajpayee: PM should not lose her control
Indira: I am not losing my control, I am only saying with emphasis. I am not given to losing control over myself
Vajpayee: I am also ready to face any type of challenge
Indira: Please do not talk like that. I am used to Vajpayee ji and his party attacking me and even in public statements they demean me by levelling baseless charges. Mr Vajpayee asked me why these riots start. I do not know but speeches like what Vajpayee has made is enough to start one.
Some members said that his speech must be expunged. I do not want so. I want it remain on record so that future generations could see the real thinking of Jan Sangh- not the forceful Hindi that Shri Vajpayee uses from time to time, but the truth behind the words. We saw naked Fascism today. There would be no one in the country, let alone in the House, who would not have respect for Shivaji. Communalism is bad, whether of hindus or Muslims or Sikhs. It is not true that whenever such a thing has flared up, we have not condemned it. Whenever Muslim organization or individual used inflammatory words we have condemned it. At the same time I have already told that majority community have a special repsonsibility, whoever it be- Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs. Shri Vajpayee said in Ahmedabad that people should not take law in their own hands. But for me the rest of his speech looked as if he is emphasizing one point - we shall not do all this. What does this mean? It means 'we shall take law in our hands, we shall take action, we must take steps'

Vajpayee: I had not said so
Indira: This is what I understood the speec to mean. If this is not the meaning I hope he would clarify what it means and tell people not to do so. His own people are not doing so.

Vajpayee: But Congress can do it. Members of Congress party can do it.
Indira: Vajpayee just declared Muslims started the riots. He asked, why? And he himself gave the answer - because they feel that they cannot live in India. So they are launching this deadly battle.
Vajpayee: This is one reason
Indira: All right, it is one of the reasons
Vajpayee: I had said so...There is nothing wrong in it. It is being objected to..
Indira: No objection is being raised. I would like to read some of the speeches made by members of his party who have said that Muslims cannot live in India unless they are Indianized
Vajpayee: Now, it is my turn to challenge the PM. Let her produce a single speech, and I am prepared to take action against that Jan Sangh leader
Indira: Shri Gowalkar
Vajpayee: Show a single one
Indira: Why one, we will show the whole thing. They are presented in NIC.
Vajpayee: Talk about Jan Sangg, the Jan Sangh
Indira: Talk about whom?
Vajpayee: I am talking about you, not the Jamat Ulema. Othwerwise you will get into difficulties. You have seen what speeches Jamat Ulema made
Indira: We oppose all such speeches, whatever the community or organization the people they may belong to.
Shri R.S. Yadav: The house wants to know what you are going to do
Indira: We will take action required. Already an inquiry has begun. I welcome Vajpayee's speech because for the first time we feel he has come over ground. This is not something which can be solved with a speech..

Wow, what a wonderful conversation. Both leaders were correct and I can say none won or lost. Such debates do no longer take place and it is very sad. This was the height at which an issue was being discussed so openly and effectively.

Clinton's wrath defeated by Vajpayee's warmth

Post Nuclear tests in May 1998, Clinton administration was very enraged. Firstly, because they could not detect it before the actual test. Secondly, they were worried that South Asia had reached a nuclear flashpoint. The only way Clinton could have taught a lesson to us was by way of imposing economic sanctions and snap all kinds of aid to us. In fact, he did this. He in fact declared that he will heavily come upon India like a ton of bricks. He also went as far as joining hands with Boris Yelstin (Russia) and China and teach India a lesson. His pace was cut down slowly by Strobe Talbott. However, Vajpayee knew such a step would be taken by US even before the Nuclear test. He fully knew the consequences of the Nuclear test. The trump card Vajpayee used now was Jaswant Singh. He saw in Jaswant Singh the qualities of a stateman like himself. He immediatley asked him to meet the US counterparts and explain the case before them. 14 rounds of talks in 7 countries in 3 continents between Strobe Talbott and Jaswant changed the Indo-US equation forever. Jaswant Singh in his first statement with American counterparts told he had come for a dialog and not negotiation. He said under any circumstances India will not go back as far as nuclear tests are concerned. Jaswant did not go as a beggar. Neither did he speak in a submissive language. He was confident and made a sharp point that India will not negotiate its security interests under any pressure. He did a smart talk of doing smart business with US keeping India's interests on the top of everything.

A business and shrewd mindset oriented American diplomats are no easy people to mess around with. If one can convince them, one is genius. Vajpayee knew that he needed US in India's favor so that US policy on India changes. He had strategically calculated that if US doesn't do any good for India, it should not do any good to Pakistan. For 50 years secretly, US helped Pakistan in all possible ways to counter India and Kashmir issue. Now, Vajpayee had to turn the tables in India's favor. Sensing this as an excellent opportunity, Vajpayee chose Jaswant Singh. What happened behind the doors is revealed in 2 major books sources of which I have not revealed here.

But I have given below two links which prove - India achieved more than the US by these talks further proving that Vajpayee scored the biggest ever diplomatic victory by convincing US at the time when US was so enraged and had imposed sanctions. In fact, Strobe Talbott wanted India to give a chance, while Clinton was not ready to listen. Credit very much goes to Strobe Talbott who convinced Clinton that favoring India is in US interest. The result was a dramatic U turn in world diplomacy. Clinton arriving in India, addressing everyone in the Central Hall, jointly agreeing to be long term partners etc. This enabled US to see us as a long standing ally and economic partner. The long term consequence of all these is that today US wants to outbeat Russia in helping India in arms and ammunition (No doubts, US companies will benefit from this, but US doesn't trade with any damn country).

1. http://hrd.rediff.com/news/2004/sep/21inter.htm
2. http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/FG27Df04.html

What is so amazing is how Mr.Vajpayee handled the whole situation. Nobody has the guts to match him in this initiative he took. Imagine what would have happened if he did not take this step? US would have imposed severe sanctions. Forced India to sign CTBT and NPT. India would have ended up in an economic mess. There could have been several more dangerous consequences. However, India's fate was fortunate enough to have Mr. Vajpayee as the PM at that dark hour as a shield. Also, note that India did not sign CTBT or NPT and yet ended up as very good friend with the US despite the bad turn of events ("bad" in US perspective before talks were held)

It is astonishing that just when the relationships reached its nadir, Vajpayee converted it into a pinnacle point. It was a victory to his diplomatic brains which were reflected in Jaswant's talks.
Jaswant Singh made one point very clearly that India faced lot of dangers from China and Pakistan. Also, he convinced with all evidences, facts and information from all intelligent sources that Pakistan was doing everything possible to ensure terrorism spreads everywhere. He also proved that India always has maintained and followed nuclear deterrent and conducting tests was a way of showing deadly neighbors that we are strong enough to tackle them.

Imagine that US turned from hostility to friendship. Friendship in such a way that Mr. Clinton personally took interest in coming to India. A sea change happened for the better of India. Be it self interest, better business opportunity or making US pro India, Vajpayee did what no one could do in 50 years and all in a span of some months. What made Clinton personally take this drastic step? The biggest blunder done by Pak army in crossing LoC and attacking Kargil. Clinton shouted at Nawaz Shariff and blackmailed him that he would expose Pakistan and tell the world that Pakistan is behind terrorism. In fact Shariff got so perplexed that he asked Clinton not to do so. Clinton said -"I or India will not come under the blackmail done by you. Ask your forces to immediately withdraw from Kargil". Can you imagine these strong statements from Clinton himself. This means that he was convinced by Jaswant Singh about India's position and the need for India going nuclear. He found a legitimate reason in India conducting nuclear tests. This is evident from Clinton's speech to Parliament in India where he clearly states " US understands India's security constraints and therefore the need for your nuclear test". Do you think a statesman, in fact most influential person in the world at that time - Bill Clinton would have spoken like this? It was possible only because of Jaswant singh and Vajpayee. Kudos to Mr.Vajpayee!!!

In this aspect, I don't think even Indira Gandhi would have been able to do this diplomatic act. She didn't have the warmth which Vajpayee had. Vajpayee had carefully chosen a team of 3 people - Jaswant, Brajesh Mishra and Advani. Only these 3 apart from him knew all that had to be talked. It is not easy to even perceive that 14 rounds of talks were even possible. US would have allowed it only when they saw a lot of sense in what Jaswant might be talking. In fact, Strobe Talbott's appreciation of Jaswant is very much available on the links I provided above. He in fact has called Jaswant Singh a "HERO" and was impressed by his statesmanship.

Thus, Clinton's wrath was met by Vajpayee's warmth. Clinton who had almost decided to punish India made a dramatic U-turn and blessed India with a friendship that is strategically more important to India than the US. This was possible only because of VAJPAYEE.....Jai ho Vajpayee ji ki...

A matchless statement after Nuclear Tests in 1998

"We do not want to cover our action with a veil of needless ambiguity. India is now a nuclear weapons state. We have the capacity for a big bomb now, for which a necessary command-and-control system is also in place. Ours will never be weapons of aggression."

This statement made by Vajpayee was carefully articulated by Mr. Vajpayee himself. For Vajpayee there needs no speech maker. He is the artful speech breaker of his enemies. This declaration seems very straightforward. Everyone, except a diplomat will agree with this. Vajpayee hit two targets with one arrow i.e this statement. On one hand, he warned the whole world that India is no longer a third world country which can be subjected to any pressure. He made this point because Clinton administration was enraged with Nuclear tests and so were Japan and other countries and put tremendous pressure not to do so all the time after 1974. He wanted to express the fact that India is now self confident in developing nuclear weapons. They had the right machinery and intelligence. On the other hand, to ensure that the world understands that India's purpose of testing nuclear weapon was only for its security and not to attack anyone, he made the last part -"Ours will never be weapons of aggression".

This art of speaking has been found only in 3 people post Independent India - Sardar Patel, Indira Gandhi and Mr. Vajpayee himself.

Although this statement and announcement did not alleviate world leaders' worry and India could not escape sanctions, it made sure that the world doesn't conclude that India was on a nuclear war with Pakistan. This is like "Dushman kamzor samhaj kar aakraman na kare aur yeh bhi samjhe ki hum shanti chahte hain". He was in one way cautioning China not to think it was easy to take over India (post 1962 China has been treating India very lightly in nuclear strength).

I fail to find any other short and simple speech as the above one enough to bring the world to jitters and yet keep everyone calm. When specifically asked about sanctions from the US, he made another matchless speech:

''India has the sanction of her own past glory and future vision to become strong. Some of the countries which have talked of sanctions, or have otherwise criticized our action, have themselves not only conducted far more nuclear tests than we have done, but they have also built huge stockpiles of nuclear weapons and delivery systems. Many of them are enjoying the shade provided by somebody else's nuclear umbrella.''

"I would like to assure the people of the world, especially in our part of the world, that there is no cause for worry at all, much less any alarm, on account of India's action. All that India has done is conduct five nuclear tests. You place this fact in the context of the hundreds of nuclear tests that have been carried out by several countries so far, and it becomes obvious that India's action does not in the least warrant consideration of worst-case scenarios.''

''India has never considered military might as the ultimate measure of national strength. The tests are a necessary component of overall national strength. I would, therefore, say that the greatest meaning of the tests is they have given India shakti, they have given India strength, they have given India self-confidence.''

''The cause of India going nuclear is a stark regional and global reality. The world knows the truth about the progress -- or rather, the lack of it -- made by the nuclear powers in the direction of nuclear disarmament. The world community should appreciate the fact that India, the second most-populous country on earth, waited for five decades before taking this step.''

Vajpayee talks in Parliament in 1961 about Civil Code - A very interesting and valid point

Mr. Vajpayee in 1961 raised a very important issue regarding discrimination of marriage laws in the country. Mr Vajpayee speech about this as below:

"Constitution says there should be a common civil code. Why then is a separate law made for marriage for Hindus and Muslims? Should marriage laws be different for each community? Is bigamy bad in Hinduism and good for Islam? How can a rule be applicable to one and not to the other? The Government recently set up a commission inquiring into misuse of Hindus temples and mutts. I welcome it, but do you think churches and mosques are not misused? Why no law has been brought in for this? When a state is concerned, everyone is the same"

Although the liberal attitude of Vajpayee is clearly visible and also the discrimination made while framing laws for one religion and not the other is sharply evident, I regret to tell that when Vajpayee was in power, he did not take any action to solve this problem of non-uniform civil code. However, what needs to be understood is the Congress party was following minority appeasement politics even in 1960's. In fact, one of the ministers at the same time was proposing reservation for government jobs on the basis of religion. Vajpayee sternly rejected it and said "That minister must resign because he did not believe in a secular democracy. A person selected on the basis of communal grounds and not on merit will spread communalism and how then can National spirit grow in the country? If Hindus become communal, then they should be opposed. Communalism of any religion should not be tolerated. Will you ask a candidate his religion before giving his job? We can understand reservation for Harijans and tribals as they are economically backward and socially discriminated against. I cannot find any logic on reservation on religious grounds"

I appreciate on the other hand that when BJP was in power it did not practice the idea of Reservation on religious lines as much as the so called "SECULAR, LIBERAL Congress is practicing". Mr. Vajpayee was against reservation even at that time in 1961 and also when he was PM. I fail to understand how an economist like Manmohan Singh supported the idea of reservation on religious lines. All for vote bank politics. If BJP did vote bank politics only once (1992 Rath Yatra), Congress has been doing it every time and will continue to do so. They have been eroding the fabric of secularism every time by stabbing one against the other. In reality neither Hindus nor Muslims have benefited as far as social fabric is concerned from the Congress.

The speech clearly exposes the biased and communal agenda followed by the Congress Govt since 1950's. Even today there is no national law for Muslims as far as marriage is concerned. It deeply disturbs me as a nation that we don't have a common law even for marriage in our system? The fine point is Vajpayee raising the issue of misuse of churches and mosques and not just Hindu temples. This is the answer to all those who even attempt to call Vajpayee a communal.

Why Vajpayee deserves Bharat Ratna?

In the recent debate on who should get the Bharat Ratna- one of the most prominent names that came up was Atal bihari Vajpayee. So long as Sonia Gandhi rules this country he will never be credited for anything, She will infact take all the credit - the best case being removal of his photos from Golden Quadrilateral Project hoardings (her whole family name must be used everywhere but no other name as she believes that only Gandhi family are true Indian patriots). I am at least happy that the Congress did not announce Sonia's name for Bharat Ratna by saying "She has done exemplary public service by renouncing her PM gaddi".

In contrast, Mr. Vajpayee is that one leader who has done so many things (the reason for this blog is to make people aware of it) for the country from the grass roots to highest level that he truly personifies public service. His bold decisions - Nuclear test, Pakistan peace process, Agra Summit, golden Quadrilateral Project, proposal for SAFTA, Enduring relations with China, Russia and USA, Economic reforms, and many more - each one of this can be elaborated endlessly. These decisions have not just impacted a common man, but also nation as a whole. The 5 years of Golden rule of Vajpayee as against 50 years of Congress is a sharp comparison in itself. Even after 50 years of ruling this country, congress has not done as much as Vajpayee has done in 5 years despite leading a coalition government where each party had its own agenda. Sonia Gandhi doesn't even have the status to reach this water surface of public service, forget its depth.

Who is Congress party to judge Vajpayee for all that he has done to this country? Have the Congress party people forgotten that Vajpayee rose above petty politics and congratulated Indira Gandhi for her war and nuclear test. Did anyone from the Congress rise above party politics and congratulate Vajpayee personally on making India 6th nuclear state in the world? People must know even if they have no authority to vote on this matter that Vajpayee is truly a deserving candidate. All that the Congress knows is to use Gandhi name, garner votes, and do nothing. One needs to understand that there are very few leaders who sacrificed their self interests and did service only to improve India and Indians namely Sardar Patel, Nehru (not much,although must be given credit), Indira Gandhi and Vajpayee. If all of these excluding Vajpayee have got Bharat Ratna, then Vajpayee does deserve. I don't find a leader at the national level who has done so much public service in a career spanning 5 decades. As one reads this blog and all the articles, one will realize why there is no match for Mr. Vajpayee.

Bharat Ratna is given for someone who has changed India and is truly a RATNA. Vajpayee is surely one of them.

Vajpayee's Quote in election rally

मैं हार लेने नहीं आया हूँ, जीत लेने आया हूँ
i.e "I have come to take victory not garland"

Vajpayee's remark of frustration on Pakistan

"जो लोग हमसे पूछ रहे हैं कि पाकिस्तान से कब बात करेंगे वह भूल गए हैं कि ५५ साल से भारत ही हैं जो बात कर रहां हैं "

i.e "People who ask us when we will hold talks with Pakistan are perhaps not aware that over the last 55 years, every initiative for a dialog with Pakistan has invariably come from India".

Vajpayee's famous quote on Pakistan

Referring to inherent problems with Pakistan, Vajpayee once said in parliament - "हम इतिहास बदल सकते हैं भूगोल नहीं। मित्र बदल सकते हैं पडोसी नहीं। इस पड़ोस के साथ रहना ही है। तो क्योंना इनसे निपटने का तरीका बदल डाले। "

i.e "We can change History, but not Geography. We can change friends, but not neighbors. We have to live with this neighbor, so why not change the way we deal with it"

Nehru's take on Vajpayee

Once while introducing Vajpayee(the Opposition leader at that time) to a visiting British prime minister, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru said, "He is a young leader of opposition who is always criticising me. But I see in him a great future."

Vajpayee calls Indira as "Durga"

In a rare appreciation of ruling party leader in Indian politics by an opposition leader, Vajpayee called Indira gandhi "DURGA" for the way she fought 1971 Indo-Pak war. Indeed the discussion of this war is not eminent here. However, what needs to be noted is that unlike narrow minded leaders, Vajpayee rose above party lines and appreciated a leader(ruling PM) for all the bold steps she took to defend the country.

Do you have any such example of Congress party even praising Mr.Vajpayee for anything for any of his one achievement? Such is the broad mindedness of this matured politician

Books published by Vajpayee

1. Lok Sabha Mein Atalji (a collection of speeches);
   
2. Mrityu Ya Hatya,
3. Amar Balidan,
   
4. Kaidi Kavirai Ki Kundalian (a collection of poems written in jail during Emergency);
5. New Dimensions of India's Foreign Policy (a collection of speeches delivered as External Affairs Minister during 1977-79);
   
6. Jana Sangh Aur Musalman;
   
7. Three Decades in Parliament (Speeches in three volumes);
   
8. Amar Aag Hai(a collection of poems) 1994;
   
9. Meri Ekyavan Kavitayen;
   
10. Four Decades in Parliament (English)-4 Volumes of Speeches in Parliament, 1957-95
    

It just shows how talented Vajpayee is. He knows the art of speaking and writing. He is so diplomatic in his answers. Answering a question without hurting a person is what Vajpayee excels in. He leaves his critics and listeners to interpret the fine lines

Positions Held in Political Career

References: http://www.bjp.org/leader/atalji.htm

1951	Founder-Member, Bharatiya Jana Sangh (B.J.S)
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; Minister of External Affairs and also incharge of Ministries/Departments of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Civil Supplies, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution, Coal, Commerce, Communications, Environment and Forests, Food Processing Industries, Human Resource Development, Labour, Mines, Non-Conventional Energy Sources, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pension, Petroleum and Natural Gas, Planning and Programme Implementation, Power, Railways, Rural Areas and Employment, Science and Technology, Steel, Surface Transport, Textiles, Water Resources,Atomic Energy, Electronics, Jammu & Kashmir Affairs, Ocean Development, Space and other subjects not allocated to any other Cabinet Minister
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 incharge 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 ofthe Ministries/Departments not specifically allocated to the charge of any Minister