Active Stocks
Thu Mar 28 2024 15:59:33
  1. Tata Steel share price
  2. 155.90 2.00%
  1. ICICI Bank share price
  2. 1,095.75 1.08%
  1. HDFC Bank share price
  2. 1,448.20 0.52%
  1. ITC share price
  2. 428.55 0.13%
  1. Power Grid Corporation Of India share price
  2. 277.05 2.21%
Business News/ Politics / Policy/  The man who preferred dialogue instead of conflict with the opposition
BackBack

The man who preferred dialogue instead of conflict with the opposition

Atal Bihari Vajpayee remained committed to his basic ideals and decided to go against the tide

Prime Minister Narendra Modi pays tribute to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, at his Krishna Menon Marg residence, in New Delhi on Thursday. Photo: PTIPremium
Prime Minister Narendra Modi pays tribute to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, at his Krishna Menon Marg residence, in New Delhi on Thursday. Photo: PTI

Former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee remained in active political life for over five decades and we can say that he was a full-time political worker.

Yet, many people, including me, felt that he was essentially not a full-time politician because he remained connected to the ground and would often write poems; he also worked as a journalist and social activist who was sensitive to the concerns of the people.

This detachment towards politics made him a grounded person. It was not in his nature to gain power at any cost.

This became evident during the anti-Sikh riots of 1984 when there was a mood against a particular community, but he remained committed to his basic ideals and decided to go against the tide.

In one of the incidents, when a group of people attacked a taxi stand outside his Raisina Road residence which had many Sikh taxi drivers, Atal Bihari Vajpayee came out of his house and stood between the mob and Sikh taxi drivers until the police reached the spot.

The decision to stand up for the Sikh community led the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to perform poorly in the general elections that year and the party got only two Lok Sabha seats. But Vajpayee remained committed to his belief that the country was more important than an individual or a political party.

Vajpayee retained this mindset—in times of electoral success as well as when the party did not perform well in polls.

One of the biggest contributions of Vajpayee to the political culture of India was that he always preferred dialogue instead of political conflict with the opposition.

He always maintained that it was essential to understand the point of view of the opposition. Sometimes he even differed with the views of his own party or leadership.

Even though he made it known that his views differed with the party leadership, he never went against the decision of the collective leadership of the BJP.

During the peak of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, Atal Bihari Vajpayee did not agree to some aspects of the movement, but he never went against the party line.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s belief that dialogue was more important than confrontation was also visible when Emergency was imposed by former prime minister Indira Gandhi.

He remained in touch with Indira Gandhi and would often talk to her about the prevailing situation in the country.

Sometimes I feel, Vajpayee was a dreamer. It was his dream to see relations between India and Pakistan improve and may be it was for this reason that he invited former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf to India for talks.

Although many people think that the friendship between Vajpayee and former deputy prime minister L.K. Advani had soured over the years, that it not correct.

Advani was the main person to run the organisation and strategise, but he enjoyed the confidence of Vajpayee at all times. Though most decisions were taken by Advani and planning done by him, the last word on every issue was Vajpayee’s.

Both Vajpayee and Advani had tremendous respect for each other. It was because of Advani’s decision in November 1995 that Vajpayee was made the prime ministerial candidate of the BJP.

Even during the height of the BJP being in power, both the leaders remained dedicated to the friendship and mutual respect between them and the appointment of Advani as the deputy prime minister did not create differences between the two leaders.

As told to Gyan Varma of Mint.

K.N. Govindacharya is a former member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and former general secretary (organisation) of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He worked closely with both Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L.K. Advani for over two decades.

Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!

Catch all the Politics News and Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News.
More Less
Published: 17 Aug 2018, 10:15 AM IST
Next Story footLogo
Recommended For You
Switch to the Mint app for fast and personalized news - Get App