Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1924-2018) Biography, Family

Quick Info

Profession	Politician, Poet, Writer
Nationality	Indian
Date of Birth	25/12/1924
Age	93 years (died on 16, Aug, 2018)
Birthplace	Gwalior
Date of Death	16/08/2018

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Bio/Wiki

Description	Atal Bihari Vajpayee was an Indian politician, poet, and writer who served as the Prime Minister of India, first for a term of 13 days in 1996, then for 6 years from 1998 to 2004. He was the first non-Congress prime minister to serve a full term in office. Vajpayee was one of the co-founders and a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He was also a volunteer and full-time functionary (pracharak) of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

Description

Atal Bihari Vajpayee was an Indian politician, poet, and writer who served as the Prime Minister of India, first for a term of 13 days in 1996, then for 6 years from 1998 to 2004. He was the first non-Congress prime minister to serve a full term in office. Vajpayee was one of the co-founders and a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He was also a volunteer and full-time functionary (pracharak) of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

Educational Qualification(s)

Degree	BA
Institution	Victoria College, Gwalior

Degree	MA in Political Science
Institution	DAV College, Kanpur

Relationships & More

Relationship(s)	Name: Rajkumari Kaul Type: Past Love Interest

Family

Father	Krishna Bihari Vajpayee
Mother	Krishna Devi
Spouse	Unmarried
Children	Namita Bhattacharya (adopted daughter)

Career

Description	Atal Bihari Vajpayee had a successful political career serving as the Prime Minister of India. He was elected to the Lok Sabha ten times and twice to the Rajya Sabha. He was the first External Affairs Minister in the Janata Party government in 1977. He was also the President of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh from 1968 to 1972 and the first President of the Bharatiya Janata Party from 1980 to 1986.
Political Party	Bharatiya Janata Party (from 1980)
Positions Held	Position: Prime Minister of India Tenure: 16/05/1996 - 01/06/1996 Position: Prime Minister of India Tenure: 19/03/1998 - 22/05/2004 Position: Union Minister of External Affairs Tenure: 26/03/1977 - 28/07/1979 Position: Union Minister of Statistics and Programme Implementation Tenure: 01/07/2002 - 22/05/2004 Position: Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha Tenure: 1991-2009 Position: Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha Tenure: 1986-1991 Position: President of the Bharatiya Janata Party Tenure: 1980-1986 Position: President of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh Tenure: 1968-1972

Some Lesser Known Facts

1. Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Rajkumari Kaul shared a love story that lasted for many years.
2. Rajkumari Kaul chose to marry a different man because of family circumstances.
3. Atal Bihari Vajpayee joined the Quit India Movement in 1942 as a student leader.
4. He was awarded India's highest civilian honor, Bharat Ratna, in 2015 on his birthday.
5. His birthday, December 25, was declared as 'Good Governance Day' by the Narendra Modi government.
6. He was a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and worked as a journalist for a short period before joining BJP.
7. He went to jail during the JP Narayan movement when emergency was declared by the Indira Gandhi government.
8. He was the first non-Congress Prime Minister to serve a full five-year term from 1999 to 2004.
9. He was elected to the Lok Sabha ten times and the Rajya Sabha twice throughout his 50-year political career.
10. During his tenure as prime minister, India carried out the Pokhran-II nuclear tests in 1998.
11. Vajpayee sought to improve diplomatic relations with Pakistan, traveling to Lahore by bus to meet with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
12. After the 1999 Kargil War with Pakistan, he sought to restore relations through engagement with President Pervez Musharraf, inviting him to India for a summit at Agra.
13. Vajpayee's government introduced many domestic economic and infrastructural reforms, including encouraging the private sector and foreign investments, reducing governmental waste, encouraging research and development, and the privatization of some government-owned corporations.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee Politician, Poet, Writer Indian Gwalior