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{{Use British English|date=October 2011}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}

{{infobox Prime Minister
| name = Atal Bihari Vajpayee
| image =
| birth_date ={{birth date|df=yes|1924|12|25}}
| birth_place =[[Gwalior State]], [[British India]]
| death_date ={{death date and age|df=yes|2018|08|16|1924|12|25}}
| death_place =[[New Delhi]], [[India]]
| party = [[Bharatiya Janata Party]]
| office = [[First Vajpayee ministry|First Term]]
| term_start = 11 May 1996
| term_end = 28 May 1996
| office1 = [[Second Vajpayee ministry|Second Term]]
| term_start1 = 19 March 1998
| term_end1 = 22 May 2004
| predecessor =[[P. V. Narasimha Rao|P.V. Narasimha Rao]]
| successor =[[H. D. Deve Gowda|H.D. Deve Gowda]]
| predecessor1 =[[I. K. Gujral]]
| successor1 =[[Manmohan Singh]]
| occupation =Politician , Poet
| signature =
|}}
{{Atal Bihari Vajpayee series}}
'''Atal Bihari Vajpayee''' was an Indian politician who served twice as Prime Minister of India, first from 16 May to 1 June 1996, and then from 19 March 1998 to 22 May 2004. A member of the [[Bharatiya Janata Party]] (BJP), Vajpayee was the [[List of Prime Ministers of India|tenth]] Prime Minister. He headed the BJP-led [[National Democratic Alliance (India)|National Democratic Alliance]] in the [[Indian Parliament]], and became the first Prime Minister unaffiliated with the [[Indian National Congress]] to complete a full five-year term in office. He died at the age of 93 on Thursday 16 August 2018 at 17:05 at [[All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi|AIIMS, New Delhi]].

==Formation of government==
After the [[1996 Indian general election|1996 general election]], the BJP emerged as the single largest party in the [[Lok Sabha]], the lower house of Parliament. Vajpayee was invited by President [[Shankar Dayal Sharma]] to form a government, but after 13 days in office, proved unable to muster a governing majority and resigned. He was succeeded by [[H. D. Dewe Gowda]], leader of the [[United Front (India)|United Front]] (UF) coalition, and became the [[Leader of the Opposition (India)|Leader of the Opposition]].

The United Front was only able to sustain a majority in Parliament until 1998, resigning after the [[Indian National Congress]] withdrew its support. In the [[1998 Indian general election]] the BJP again emerged as the single-largest party, but was able to assemble a governing coalition called the [[National Democratic Alliance (India)|National Democratic Alliance]] (NDA). Other constituents of the NDA included the [[All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam]] (AIADMK), [[Bahujan Samaj Party]], [[Shiv Sena]], [[Shiromani Akali Dal]], [[Jammu & Kashmir National Conference|National Conference]] (NC) and the [[Trinamool Congress]] (TC), amongst others.

By early 1999, the NDA government lost its majority after the AIADMK withdrew its support.<ref name="BBC">{{cite news
| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/322065.stm
| title = South Asia Vajpayee's thirteen months
| access-date=14 September 2017
| website=BBC News
| date=17 April 1999}}</ref> President [[K. R. Narayanan]] dissolved the Parliament and called fresh elections – the third in two years. Public anger against smaller parties that jeopardised the NDA coalition and the wave of support for the Vajpayee government in the aftermath of the [[Kargil War]] gave the BJP a larger presence in the Lok Sabha. The NDA won a decisive majority with the support of new constituents such as the [[Janata Dal (United)]] and the [[Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam]].

==Economic policy==
The Vajpayee government expanded the process of [[Economic liberalisation in India|economic liberalisation]] initiated by the [[P.V. Narasimha Rao]] government (1991–1996). His government initiated the privatisation of most state corporations, including the [[VSNL|Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd.]] His government also began the establishment of special export processing zones, Information Technology and Industrial Parks across the country to bolster industrial production and exports. In its third term (1999–2004), his government launched the [[National Highway Development Project]], with the first phase being the [[Golden Quadrilateral]]. In 2003, the government launched the [[Pravasi Bharatiya Samman]] (Honouring of [[Non-resident Indian and person of Indian origin|Non-Resident Indians]]) and initiated plans to establish an [[Overseas Citizen of India|Overseas citizenship of India]] to enable NRIs to invest and do business freely in India. His government also expanded efforts to encourage foreign investment, especially from Europe and the United States.

==Foreign policy==
The Vajpayee government improved India's ties with the People's Republic of China, boosting trade and seeking the resolution of territorial disputes through dialogue. India also established strategic and military cooperation with [[Israel]], with both nations establishing cooperation in fighting terrorism. In 2000, U.S. President [[Bill Clinton]] became the first American president to visit India since [[Jimmy Carter]]. The U.S. and India ended the [[Cold War]]-era distant relationship and expanded trade and cooperation on strategic issues. After the [[11 September 2001 attacks]], India provided much strategic assistance to the U.S. in its war against the [[Taliban]] and [[Al-Qaeda]].

In 1999, Vajpayee personally travelled to Pakistan on the inaugural [[Delhi-Lahore Bus]], which established a regular road link between the two countries for the first time since 1947. Vajpayee and the then-[[Pakistani Prime Minister]] [[Nawaz Sharif]] issued the [[Lahore Declaration]], which committed the two nations to resolve bilateral disputes through dialogue and concurrently boost trade. However, the Lahore summit's success was diminished by the outbreak of the Kargil War just months later. In 2001, Vajpayee and [[Pakistani President]] [[Pervez Musharraf]] held the [[Agra summit]], which failed to produce results and was overshadowed by the [[2001-2002 India-Pakistan standoff]]. In 2003, Vajpayee declared in the Indian Parliament that he was making his final initiative to make peace with Pakistan, and oversaw considerable improvement in relations and a ceasefire between Indian forces and militant groups in the state of [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]].

==National Security==

=== Pokhran-II nuclear tests ===
In May, 1998 India conducted five underground nuclear tests – [[Pokhran-II]], following the [[Pokhran-I]] test of 1974. These tests established India as a [[India and weapons of mass destruction|nuclear weapons power]], although it also resulted in the imposition of limited sanctions by the U.S., UK, Canada and other nations. By 2001, most of these sanctions had been lifted.

=== Kargil War ===
{{main|Kargil War}}
In 1999, two months after the bilateral summit in Lahore, India discovered that Pakistani army disguised as terrorists had infiltrated through the [[Line of Control]] (LoC) into the state of Jammu and Kashmir with active Pakistani assistance and participation. In response, the [[Indian armed forces]] launched [[Operation Vijay (1999)|Operation Vijay]] to evict the infiltrators. By July, 1999 Indian forces had reclaimed territories on its side of the LoC. The Vajpayee government also established the [[Defence Intelligence Agency (India)|Defence Intelligence Agency]] to provide better [[military intelligence]] and monitor India's border with Pakistan.{{cn|date=June 2020}}

===Terrorism===
The terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament building on 13 December 2001, conducted by [[Lashkar-e-Taiba]] and [[Jaish-e-Mohammed]] terrorists<ref name=demarche>[http://www.rediff.com/news/2001/dec/14parl12.htm "Govt blames LeT for Parliament attack"]</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.indianembassy.org/new/parliament_dec_13_01.htm#STATEMENT%20MADE%20BY%20HOME%20MINISTER,%20L.%20K.%20ADVANI%20ON%20THE%20TERRORIST%20ATTACK%20ON%20PARLIAMENT%20HOUSE%20ON%20DECEMBER%2013,%202001 |title=Archived copy |access-date=12 July 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100611152203/http://www.indianembassy.org/new/parliament_dec_13_01.htm#STATEMENT%20MADE%20BY%20HOME%20MINISTER,%20L.%20K.%20ADVANI%20ON%20THE%20TERRORIST%20ATTACK%20ON%20PARLIAMENT%20HOUSE%20ON%20DECEMBER%2013,%202001 |archive-date=11 June 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> led to the death of a dozen people (5 terrorists, 6 police and 1 civilian)<ref name=rediffattack>[http://www.rediff.com/news/2001/dec/13parl1.htm "Terrorists attack Parliament; five intruders, six cops killed"]. 2006. <u>Rediff.com</u>. Rediff India. 13 December 2001</ref> and the [[2001-2002 India-Pakistan standoff]]. In response to these attacks and an escalation in terrorist attacks in other parts of India, the NDA government promulgated the [[Prevention of Terrorist Activities Act|Prevention of Terrorism Act]]. Although a tougher anti-terrorism law than [[Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act]], POTA was criticised as compromising civil liberties and encouraging profiling of the Indian Muslim community.<ref name="POTA">{{cite web|title=New Indian terror law strikes fear|url=http://www.atimes.com/ind-pak/DC27Df01.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020414063055/http://www.atimes.com/ind-pak/DC27Df01.html|url-status=unfit|archive-date=14 April 2002|author=Sudha Ramachandran|work=[[Asia Times]]|date=27 March 2002|access-date=12 July 2009}}</ref> As the [[Rajya Sabha]], the upper house of Parliament, was controlled by opposition parties, the Vajpayee government called a historic joint session of both houses of the Indian Parliament in order to enact POTA into law.<ref name="POTA"/>

==Gujarat violence==
{{main|2002 Gujarat violence}}

On 27 February 2002, the Sabarmati Express train was attacked at Godhra by a Muslim mob.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-12534127 India Godhra train blaze verdict: 31 convicted] BBC News, 22 February 2011.</ref><ref>[http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article1513008.ece It was not a random attack on S-6 but kar sevaks were targeted, says judge] The Hindu — 6 March 2011</ref><ref name="India 2008">[http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/getFiles.asp?Style=OliveXLib:LowLevelEntityToPrint_TOI&Type=text/html&Locale=english-skin-custom&Path=TOIM/2008/09/27&ID=Ar01400 The Godhra conspiracy as Justice Nanavati saw it] {{Webarchive|url=https://www.webcitation.org/65dKF3wm3?url=http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/getFiles.asp?Style=OliveXLib%3ALowLevelEntityToPrint_TOI&Type=text%2Fhtml&Locale=english-skin-custom&Path=TOIM%2F2008%2F09%2F27&ID=Ar01400 |date=22 February 2012 }} The Times of India, 28 September 2008. Retrieved 2012-02-19. [https://www.webcitation.org/65dKF3wm3?url=http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/getFiles.asp?Style=OliveXLib:LowLevelEntityToPrint_TOI&Type=text/html&Locale=english-skin-custom&Path=TOIM/2008/09/27&ID=Ar01400 Archived] 21 February 2012.</ref><ref name="court-confirms-conspiracy">[http://www.rediff.com/news/slide-show/slide-show-1-nine-years-after-godhra-carnage-verdict-today/20110222.htm Godhra case: 31 guilty; court confirms conspiracy] Rediff.com, 22 February 2011 19:26 IST. Sheela Bhatt, Ahmedabad.</ref> 59 Hindu pilgrims returning from Ayodhya were killed in the attack.<ref>[http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020228/main1.htm Sabarmati Express set ablaze, 57 dead],''The Tribune''</ref> Lasting for over a month, the riots claimed the lives of more than 1,000 people, mostly Muslims.<ref name="BBC-20050511">These figures were reported to the Rajya Sabha by the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Sriprakash Jaiswal in May, 2005. {{cite news | title = Gujarat riot death toll revealed |publisher=BBC News |date=11 May 2005| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4536199.stm}}</ref><ref name="EI-20050512">{{cite news | title = BJP cites govt statistics to defend Modi | agency = Press Trust of India| publisher = ExpressIndia | date = 12 May 2005 | url = http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=46626 | access-date = 12 July 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090226131020/http://news.indiainfo.com/2005/05/11/1105godhra-rs.html | archive-date = 26 February 2009 | url-status = dead }}</ref><ref name="II-20050511">{{cite news | title=254 Hindus, 790 Muslims killed in post-Godhra riots | agency=Press Trust of India| publisher=Indiainfo.com | date=11 May 2005 | url=http://news.indiainfo.com/2005/05/11/1105godhra-rs.html | access-date=12 July 2009 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090226131020/http://news.indiainfo.com/2005/05/11/1105godhra-rs.html | archive-date=26 February 2009 | url-status=dead }}</ref> The state government, led by [[Narendra Modi]] of the BJP, was severely criticised for being unable or unwilling to stop the violence.<ref name=BBC1>{{cite news | title = Court orders Gujarat riot review |publisher=BBC News |date=17 August 2004 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3572296.stm}}</ref>

Vajpayee officially condemned the violence.<ref>{{cite news|title=Vajpayee condemns Godhra carnage, Gujarat communal violence|url=http://expressindia.indianexpress.com/news/fullstory.php?newsid=8625}}</ref> Later Vajpayee made controversial remarks: "Wherever there are Muslims, they do not want to live in peace with others. Instead of living peacefully, they want to propagate their religion by creating terror in the minds of others." According to Sanjay Ruparelia, Vajpayee used [[Muslim terrorism]] to justify the violence in Gujarat.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Rethinking Institutional Theories of Political Moderation: The Case of Hindu Nationalism in India, 1996-2004|author=Sanjay Ruparelia|journal=Comparative Politics|volume=38|issue=3|date=Apr 2006|pages=317–336|doi=10.2307/20434000}}</ref> [[Ornit Shani]] believes that Vajpayee's government believed that Muslim provoked violence against themselves by simply being Muslim.<ref>{{cite book|author=Ornit Shani|title=Communalism, Caste and Hindu Nationalism: The Violence in Gujarat|url=https://archive.org/details/communalismcaste00shan|url-access=limited|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|year=2007|page=[https://archive.org/details/communalismcaste00shan/page/n187 172]}}</ref> [[The Milli Gazette]] criticized Vajpayee as "Muslim-bashing".<ref>{{cite news|title=Vajpayee equates Islam with terrorism|url=http://www.milligazette.com/Archives/01052002/0105200253.htm}}</ref> Rafiq Dossani believes that Vajpayee was appealing to a post-[[9/11]] [[neo-conservative]] mood.<ref name=IA>{{cite book|author=Rafiq Dossani|title=India Arriving: How This Economic Powerhouse Is Redefining Global Business|publisher=AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn|year=2008|page=154}}</ref>

Vajpayee was accused of doing nothing to stop the violence. He later admitted his mistake in underestimating the violence and not doing enough to stop it.<ref>{{cite news|title=Vajpayee admits mistake over Gujarat|url=http://articles.cnn.com/2002-04-30/world/india.censure_1_gujarat-muslim-mob-censure-vote?_s=PM:asiapcf|publisher=[[CNN]]|date=2002-04-13|access-date=21 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130307111617/http://articles.cnn.com/2002-04-30/world/india.censure_1_gujarat-muslim-mob-censure-vote?_s=PM:asiapcf|archive-date=7 March 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[K.R. Narayanan]], then [[president of India]], stated that the violence stemmed from a "conspiracy" between Vajpayee's central BJP-led government, and Gujarat's BJP government.<ref>{{cite news|title=Narayanan Blames BJP for Gujarat Riots|url=http://www.arabnews.com/node/263175|date=2005-03-03}}</ref> Narayanan said he wrote several letters to Vajpayee asking him deploy the [[Indian army]] to quell the violence. Narayanan didn't speak out against Vajpayee during his term as president.<ref name=IA/>

== See also ==
* [[First Vajpayee ministry]]
* [[Second Vajpayee ministry]]
* [[Third Vajpayee ministry]]
* <ref>{{cite web|title=Atal Bihari Vajpayee Awards - Late Prime Minister of india".|url=https://therealgems.com/who-is-atal-bihari-vajpayee/|date=6 February 2020|location=Indore [M.P.] India.}}</ref>Awards And Houners of Vajpayee.

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

[[Category:Bharatiya Janata Party]]
[[Category:Vajpayee administration| ]]
[[Category:Indian premierships|Vapayee, Atal Bihari]]
[[Category:Atal Bihari Vajpayee]]

Premiership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee - Revision history

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