The life and times of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, former prime minister and admired leader
Hindustan TimesFormer Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the first non-Congress prime minister to complete a full term in office, died in Delhi on Thursday after a prolonged illness, doctors said. He later wrote in a piece titled ‘The Sangh is my Soul’: “I participated in the Quit India movement in 1942 and was jailed…” 1951: After working as a journalist, he joins the newly formed Bharatiya Jan Sangh 1957: Elected to the Lok Sabha for the first time 1962: Becomes a member of the Rajya Sabha 1975: Jailed during the Emergency 1977-79: Serves as the external affairs minister in the Janata Party government 1980: Cuts ties with the Janata Party and helps found the Bharatiya Janata Party. On May 28, he – in what has become a landmark speech — resigned on the floor of the House before a trust vote 1998: Sworn in as PM after the BJP emerges as the single largest party and forms the National Democratic Alliance government 1998: Under Vajpayee’s leadership, India conducts five nuclear tests on May 11 and 13 at the Pokhran range in Rajasthan. Vajpayee says his visit to Washington has “consolidated relations between the world’s two largest democracies and marked a new era in bilateral and global affairs” 2004: In May, he resigns as the PM following the NDA’s defeat in the Lok Sabha elections 2005: Retires from active politics 2009: Has a stroke that impairs his speech 2015: Conferred the Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest civilian award.