Podcast | Editor’s Pick of the day – Looking back at the life of Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee passed away on Thursday at the age of 93, after battling a prolonged illness. He was one of the founding members of the Bharatiya Janata Party and considered by some as the moderate face of the party. Vajpayee breathed his last at the All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah, former deputy prime minister and close friend of the former PM LK Advani were among those who paid their respects to Vajpayee.

Vajpayee will be remembered for three things primarily - a string of economic reforms during the NDA’s term between 1999 and 2004; the nuclear programme that culminated in the test at Pokhran in 1998, and his role in the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992. Some also credit him for his deft handling of the troubled relationship with Pakistan and managing very demanding allies in a complex ruling coalition. Not to forget his excellent oratory and his penchant for poetry.

Vajpayee first became India’s Prime Minister in 1996, serving in office from May 16, 1996 to June 1, 1996, then again between 1998 and 1999. His government was famously brought down after a no-confidence vote. He then won the elections was back in power as PM and served a full term from 1999 to 2004. As of 2018, he is the only non-Congress Prime Minister to successfully complete a full term in office.