Introduction

One man led the construction of the Golden Quadrilateral. One man pushed through successful nuclear tests and did the historical crossover to Pakistan. One man took the country towards liberalization and economic growth. That one man was Atal Bihari Vajpayee.In this book, you will learn how Atal Bihari Vajpayee served the nation for five decades. You will learn about his character and how he had maintained his good reputation all throughout the years. Atal Bihari Vajpayee is an inspiration. He has set a good example not only for his fellow Indians, but to all citizens of the world.

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The Formative Years

Atal Bihari Vajpayee was born on Christmas day in 1924. His family belonged to the Brahmin caste. He was born and raised in the princely state of Gwalior. It was under the rule of British India.Krishna Bihari, Atal’s father, was a schoolteacher. He got promoted to headmaster and then he served as an inspector of schools. Krishna influenced Atal with his love of reading and education.In 1942, the Quit India movement spread all over the country. Protests and demonstrations were held even in Gwalior. Krishna Bihari sensed that his sons, Atal and Prem, were getting interested in the revolution. That was why he decided to send them to Bateshwar.

Soon, even Bateshwar was involved in the struggle as well. One day, there became a demonstration in the village market. Atal and Prem were there. The crowd leader Liladhar Bajpai was making a powerful speech. He encouraged the people to demolish government offices and raise the Indian flag.Liladhar was a good speaker. He was able to move plenty of people. Atal and Prem, went with the crowd, but they didn’t join in with the demolition itself.They didn’t join as Liladhar and the others burned buildings while shouting “Quit India!”

It was not long before the authorities arrived at the scene.The police arrested many people including Liladhar, Atal and Prem.The brothers stayed in jail for 23 days.Krishna Bihari became very worried when he learned of what happened to his sons.He did everything he could to bring them back. Meanwhile, Atal and Prem were interrogated separately. They gave two identical statements. Yes, they were with the crowd, but they didn’t participate in the demolition.

The crowd leader, Liladhar, was found guilty and was imprisoned for 3 years. The brothers, Atal and Prem, were eventually let go. That incident became an eye opener for the future prime minister.At the time of the arrest, Atal was a student in the Victoria College of Gwalior. He was taking up a Bachelor of Arts degree where he studied English, Hindi and Sanskrit. After that, Atal chose to pursue a Master’s degree in Kanpur.

He was able to secure a government scholarship for his master’s degree in political science. Atal graduated with honors. While he was studying, he became affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or RSS organization. The experience shaped Atal for political leadership.

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Getting Into Politics

Deen Dayal Upadhyaya was a great influence in Atal’s early political career. Both Deen Dayal and Atal were from the Brahmin caste of North India. Both of them were members of RSS. Deen was very impressed by Atal’s work as editor of the RSS newspapers.Another big influence was Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, who was the founder of the Jana Sangh. The RSS was a major supporter of the new political party. Coincidentally, Deen Dayal introduced Atal to Shyama Prasad. Deen Dayal saw Atal as a smart energetic youth who could be an asset to the Jana Sangh.

Atal became an assistant of Shyama Prasad. He was there when Shyama Prasad worked on the controversial issue of Kashmir. Atal gave the impression of a young political activist full of idealism.Shyama Prasad did not have the permit to go to Kashmir yet and he was determined to do so. Atal and three of his staff went with him on the train until Pathankot.Shyama Prasad thought that the Punjab government would stop and arrest him. Thankfully, he was let through.

Little did he know that there was a conspiracy.Shyama Prasad would be allowed to enter Kashmir, but he would not be allowed to leave. He died while in Kashmir detention. That tragedy was a big blow to the Jana Sangh. It terribly weakened the power of the opposing party.There became a vacancy in the Lok Sabha position of Jana Sangh. Deen Dayal endorsed Atal as a candidate even though Atal was only 28 years old. Deen Dayal believed that Atal learned a lot from Shyama Prasad. He also believed in Atal’s talent for public speaking.

Then Atal ran for the elections. However, Jana Sangh was not very popular then. Atal tried hard for quite some time. It was only in 1957 when Jana Sangh was able to win 4 seats in the Parliament. One of them was held by Atal.He was only given 5 minutes to speak in the parliament sessions. Because of that, Atal’s skill in public speaking further improved. He was able to communicate his messages in a clear organized way.

Even Jawaharlal Nehru thought highly of him. On one occasion, Nehru brought Atal forward to meet the British prime minister. Pandit Nehru said, “This young man is the leader of the opposition. He always criticizes me. But I can see that he has a great future ahead of him.

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Leading the Jana Sangh

Another tragedy happened in the Jana Sangh. Deen Dayal was elected as the president of Jana Sangh in 1967. However, he only held the position for 40 days. Deen Dayal had a mysterious death. He was aboard a running train when somebody pushed him out.It had fallen to the hands of M.S. Golwalkar, the leader of RSS, to choose the new president of Jana Sangh. There was Balraj Madhok, the former president, who was lobbying hard for the position, but Golwalkar saw Atal as a far better candidate.

When Atal learned of his nomination as Jana Sangh president, he was shocked. “How can I take Deen Dayal’s position?” He thought to himself. Nevertheless, Atal took full responsibility. His abilities as a good leader shined through. Atal built a competent team to help him.Although the appointment was done, Madhok still held a grudge against Atal. He opposed Atal every opportunity he got. However, Madhok failed to weaken Atal. He was always angry while Atal was just a cool cat.

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