Atal Bihari Vajpayee, charismatic statesman, is no more

New Delhi, Aug. 16 (IANS): Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, whose politics of moderation in a hardline party propelled the BJP to power for the first time in the 1990s, died on Thursday after a long illness.

The 93-year-old leader, who had faded from public life for more than a decade following health complications and was admitted to AIIMS with urinary tract infection on June 11, breathed his last at 5.05 p.m., the hospital said in a statement.

“It is with profound grief that we inform about the sad demise of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

“Unfortunately, his condition deteriorated over the last 36 hours and he was put on life support system. Despite the best of efforts, we have lost him today,” the statement said.

Vajpayee, a diabetic, was undergoing treatment at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). He was said to be stable for the last nine weeks but his health suffered a setback on Sunday and worsened on Wednesday.

That things were getting worse could be gleaned from the fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi made two visits to AIIMS in the last two days.

Rich tributes poured from across the political spectrum for Vajpayee who had the reputation of having no enemies in politics.

Modi described the passing away of Vajpayee as “the end of an era” and every Indian and the BJP worker would continue to be guided by his vision.

President Ram Nath Kovind said Vajpayee was a “true Indian statesman”.

“His leadership, foresight, maturity and eloquence put him in a league of his own.”

Congress President Rahul Gandhi said Vajpayee was loved and respected by millions. “Today, India lost a great son.”

Earlier, as news of deterioration of his health spread, national leaders, including Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu, BJP brass — party President Amit Shah, veterans L.K. Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, and Home Minister Rajnath Singh, cabinet ministers, chief ministers and opposition leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mamata Banerjee visited the hospital during the day.

The body was taken to Vajpayee’s house on Krishna Menon Marg in Lutyen’s Delhi for the public to pay last respects to the departed leader.

The former Prime Minister, whose birthday on December 25 is celebrated as Good Governance Day, was honoured with the Bharat Ratna in 2014 at his home.

Vajpayee, whose more than six-year term was marked by peace initiative with Pakistan and the 1998 Pokhran nuclear test that invited US sanctions, was a bachelor and leaves behind a foster family.

Though his long-time associate L.K. Advani, credited for the rise of the BJP from the last 1980s on the Ayodhya temple issue with his hardline politics, it was Vajpayee’s moderate stance that took the party close to power.

He was the Prime Minister for 13 days in mid-1996 at the head of the first short-lived BJP government. He was forced to resign ahead of the confidence vote as he failed to muster the numbers.

However, Vajpayee again became the Prime Minister in March 1998 with improved numbers and new allies like the TDP, the AIADMK, the National Conference and the Samta Party.

But his government fell 13 months later on the floor of the Lok Sabha losing by one vote in the confidence motion after AIADMK headed by the late J.Jayalalithaa withdrew support to the BJP.

The BJP government led by Vajpayee returned to power in 1999 and completed almost its full term until 2004 when the party lost in the polls that was called earlier than was scheduled.

Vajpayee was known for his lavish praise of Indira Gandhi as Durga on India’s victory over Pakistan in the 1971 war of Bangladesh independence.

He had a flair for foreign policy issues and the then Prime Minister Narasimha Rao chose him to lead an Indian delegation to the UN Human Rights conference to counter Pakistan’s campaign for Kashmir.

Vajpayee had a long association with the RSS and the Bhartiya Jana Sangh which merged to form the Janata Party in the post Emergency period when he was jailed along with numerous opposition leaders.

And in 1980, he, Advani, Joshi and other leaders founded the BJP of which he was the first President.

How Vajpayee won the hearts of Nagas

Eastern Mirror Desk

Former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was supposed to travel from Dimapur airport to Kohima by helicopter during his first visit to Nagaland in 2003. But as fate would have it, inclement weather forced his entourage to take the only road that barely existed. He didn’t complain but sympathised with the harsh reality that the Nagas had had to face every day, which the then chief minister of the state, Neiphiu Rio, referred to as a sign of “concern and care” for the people.

Vajpayee kept his promise to meet the people of Nagaland in person by braving the rough 74-km road to Kohima, which most people in his position would have called off citing security reasons. He won the hearts of the people from the very moment he set his foot on Nagaland.

“Ami laga bhai aru boyni-khan. Aami Nagaland-te matiye karone besi khusi paise dei. (‘My dear brothers and sisters. I am very happy that I have been invited to Nagaland’),” Vajpayee said while addressing the public in Kohima.

He announced a four-lane highway between the state’s capital, Kohima town, and commercial hub Dimapur after experiencing the roller-coaster ride. It’s almost 15 years since he made the announcement. It may take some years before the project is completed but he will be remembered when it is done.

Vajpayee also introduced the BSNL mobile phone service in the state by directly speaking to the then Union Communications Minister Arun Shourie in New Delhi over the phone in the presence of the then Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and Governor Shyamal Datta.

“Let the dialogue proceed. Let distances be removed and let confidence be built and let us together create peace and accelerate the development,” said Vajpayee during the launch of the mobile phone service in the state.

Before he would leave for Delhi, the former prime minister announced an INR 1,050 crore economic package for the state with the aim to accelerate development, including construction of the road between Dimapur and Kohima towns; create jobs for the youth, and for employment generation programmes for the rural population. It came a few months after he had announced INR 365 crore “peace bonus” for the state to help recover from its deficit.

Vajpayee also touched on the political aspiration of the Nagas in his speech by acknowledging their “unique identity.”

Over 8,000 delegates from Naga-dominated districts — Senapati, Ukhrul, Tamenlong and Chandel — of Manipur came all the way to Kohima to welcome the prime minister and express their solidarity with the rest of the Nagas in Nagaland, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Myanmar in their demand for integration of all Naga-inhabited areas, and for early settlement of the Naga political issue.

Special place in our hearts – Rio
Referring to Vajpayee as a ‘towering personality of modern India,’ Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio has expressed deep sadness at the demise of the former prime minister.

A condolence message from Rio stated that Vajpayee would be remembered as one of the most popular prime ministers of India. “The people of Nagaland have a special place for the former PM in our hearts. In October 2003, during his three-day visit to Nagaland, the then prime minister made a historic statement at Kohima, which was a defining moment in the relationship between Nagas and the rest of the country.

Rio quoted the former PM: “He stated that, ‘It is true that, of all the states in India, Nagaland has a unique history. We are sensitive to this historical fact.’ He further said, ‘We do not wish to impose any external customs on you. India has a long tradition of tolerating diverse customs and ways of life. You have nothing to fear.’ In the same address he said, ‘I wish to assure you on another score, India is a secular nation, both because of our constitution and, more importantly, because of our civilisational ethos. As you know, India is home to all faiths in the world. India has respected and protected all faiths.’”

Rio recalled how Vajpayee had said then that there were many good things others could learn from Nagaland. “For example, the practice of broad-based debate and consensual decision making in your Naga Hohos is the very kernel of democracy. It deserves to be emulated at all levels, from the village level to the global level. Yours is indeed a model for others to follow and Nagaland is a proud and honoured member of the Indian family.”

According to the chief minister, such approach and reassuring statements won the hearts of the Naga people and greatly contributed towards taking the peace process forward. “He also had a serious concern for the development of Nagaland with the announcement of the prime minister’s package for development of Nagaland and for empowerment of the youth.

“Prime Minister Vajpayee spent three days in Nagaland during his visit and interacted with all sections of the people late into every night. His visit is still remembered in a fond manner and I can say with confidence that late Vajpayee was largely responsible for making Nagas have trust and confidence with the rest of the country at a crucial juncture.”

True Indian leader – Acharya
Governor PB Acharya recalled the late Vajpayee as a ‘statesman, great human being, a poet at heart, an extraordinary orator and an outstanding parliamentarian’ who personified ‘a true Indian leader.’

“I am fortunate and blessed as party worker to have close contact and had guidance for a long period of 20 years with Late Vajpayeeji,” Acharya said in a statement. He recalled that it was Vajpayee who first introduced Hindi to the United Nations.

“He was a renowned poet, and with regard to his poetry he wrote, ‘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 dispirited voice of dejection but the stirring shout of victory.’

“In his passing away, the nation has lost a statesman, a great human being, a poet, tall leader and above all, a patriot. I on behalf of the people of Nagaland as governor and on my own behalf, offer our homage to the great soul and condole his death.”

NSCN (IM) pays ‘profound homage’
Describing Vajpayee as a ‘great leader who could understand the Nagas’, the NSCN (IM) also remembered that it was during Vajpayee’s tenure when the ‘unique history and situation of the Nagas’ was officially recognised by the government of India on July 11 2002.

“We pay our profound homage to the departed soul. He will be ever remembered for his valuable contribution towards resolving the political problem of the Nagas. It is indeed a great loss not only for India but also for Naga people and the world,” read a statement from the outfit.