Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Atal Bihari Vajpayee (often wrongly spelt Behari; अटल बिहारी वाजपेयी in Devnagari) (born December 25, 1924) was the Prime Minister of India in 1996 and again from October 13, 1998 until May 19, 2004.

The Rise of the BJP

Vajpayee resigned from government with Morarji Desai's resignation as Prime Minister, and the Janata dissolved soon after. The BJS was left exhausted by the internecine wars of Janata, having devoted its political organization to it almost entirely.

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Atal Bihari Vajpayee, along with many BJS and RSS colleagues, especially his long-time and close friend Lal Krishna Advani, formed the Bharatiya Janata Party, the new home of Hindutva, right-wing social and economic ideas and nationalism. Vajpayee became its founding President. The BJP initially attacked the Congress govt. from all sides, and while strongly opposing the Sikh militancy that was rising in the state of Punjab, it blamed Indira Gandhi for divisive and corrupt politics that fostered the militancy at national expense.

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Although supporting Operation Bluestar, the BJP strongly protested the violence against Sikhs in Delhi that broke out in 1984 following the murder of Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards. Although it won only 2 seats in the 1984 elections owing to a nationwide sympathy vote for Rajiv Gandhi and the Congress Party (a historic landslide for them) after his mother's murder, the BJP had established itself in the mainsteam of politics, and soon began expanding its organization to young, second and third generation Indians in widespread parts of the country. And while Vajpayee remained centerstage either as party President or Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, more and more young, hardline Hindu nationalists began to rise within the party and define its politics.

Related Topics:
Operation Bluestar - Sikhs - Delhi - Rajiv Gandhi - Congress Party

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The BJP became the political voice of the Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir Movement, led by activists of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the RSS, seeking to build a temple dedicated to the Lord Rama, incarnation of the Supreme Lord Vishnu and of the Ramayana epic, at the site of a dilapidated mosque in the city of Ayodhya, his birthtown. The site is widely believed, both by legend and historical fact, to be the birthplace of the Lord, and considered most sacred to literally the entire Hindu population, today exceeding 1 billion. But a legendary and historic Hindu temple here had been razed by Muslim invaders, and the Muslim rulers had erected the Babri Mosque in its place. Even though abandoned by the 1940s, it remained a symbol of Hindu oppression under foreign rule.

Related Topics:
Ram Janmabhoomi - Vishwa Hindu Parishad - Rama - Vishnu - Ramayana - Ayodhya - Hindu - Babri Mosque

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On December 6, 1992, hundreds of VHP and BJP activists broke down an organized protest into a frenzy of attacking the mosque structure. By the end of the day, the mosque had crumbled to pieces, and over the following weeks, waves of violence erupted between Hindus and Muslims in different parts of the country, killing over 10,000 people.

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The VHP was banned, and many BJP leaders including Lal Krishna Advani were arrested briefly for provoking the destruction. Although widely condemned by many across the country for playing politics with sensitive issues, the BJP won the loyalty and support of millions of conservative Hindus, as well as national prominence. However, Atal Bihari Vajpayee showed leadership that clearly stated that the BJP was not controlled by religious fanatics, and even composed a poem to mourn the fallen mosque. Vajpayee played thus an important role rescuing the nation from a terrible crisis.

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Vajpayee only benefited as Leader of the Opposition from this example of leadership and the prominence and energy that swept the BJP. In 1992, Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao selected him, the Leader of the Opposition to represent the nation at the UN Security Council and a major World Disarmament Conference (over his own Foreign Minister and allies). Crucial to protecting India's nuclear program and defend itself with nuclear weapons, PM Rao opted for the man who had done that job well in 1979. Earning both himself and Rao kudos, Vajpayee held the national prestige high at these important events. A strong feeling grew that the BJP would only be acceptable to the majority of Indians if Vajpayee, a strong leader and consensus figure, would lead the Government.

Related Topics:
P.V. Narasimha Rao - UN Security Council

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