Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s personal meetings with opposition leaders were full of laughter.
Everyone remembers Atal Bihari Vajpayee. People of his party. Not just supporters. Even the opposition. In private meetings, he used to laugh, joke and have easy conversations with the opposition, against whom he used to attack on policies and programs in Parliament and meetings. Pandit Nehru saw the future Prime Minister in him. Atal Bihari never spared his government on questions like China and Kashmir. But when the same Nehru requested Atal to postpone a starred question related to China on the occasion of Chou En Lai’s visit to India, he immediately accepted it.
Ashok Tandon, who was Atal Bihari’s media advisor when he was Prime Minister and till his health, has mentioned many incidents of Atal Bihari’s cordial relations with opposition leaders in his recently published book “Atal Memoirs”. In a time of increasing bitterness between the party and the opposition and encroachment on parliamentary decorum, these mutual relations between the opponents in the past are shocking. It also describes the beauty of Indian democracy. Read some such stories on the occasion of Atal Bihari’s birthday.
Question related to China postponed in the House on Nehru’s request
Atal Bihari’s relations with the Nehru-Gandhi family have always been a matter of curiosity. Pandit Nehru was so impressed by Atal Bihari’s first speech in the Lok Sabha and his parliamentary skills that during the visit of the then Prime Minister of the Soviet Union to India and Atal Bihari’s meeting with him, he described him as the future Prime Minister.
Despite this generosity of Pandit Nehru in the House. Atal Bihari was at the forefront in strongly criticizing the government’s policies and especially on China-Kashmir issues. But there came an occasion when Pandit Nehru asked to postpone a starred question related to China. Atal Bihari agreed.
Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Photo: Robert NICKELSBERG/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images
On April 20, 1960, during the visit of Chinese Prime Minister Chou En Lai to India, the Parliament was in session. On the same day in Question Hour on the India-China border dispute. A starred question from Atal Bihari was asked, which was number one. Pandit Nehru was going to the airport to receive the Chinese Prime Minister. He felt that the question related to the border dispute would not be appropriate at the time of this visit. Pandit Nehru. Called Atal Bihari and requested to postpone the question. Atal Bihari agreed.
Long conversation with Jyoti Basu on phone
At the ideological level, Atal Bihari and Jyoti Basu were on two sides. But there used to be long conversations between the two on the phone late in the evening. Interestingly, on such occasions no one was allowed to stay in his room. According to Ashok Tandon, many times Atal Bihari would say that call Jyoti Basu and you all go out of the room. Colleagues would ask him why he talks to staunch communist Jyoti Basu for half an hour? Atal Bihari used to say, “This is a mutual discussion between us friends.”
Big communist leader Somnath Chatterjee often used to share his feelings with Atal Bihari. Chatterjee felt that the party had made him the speaker of the Lok Sabha to distance himself from active politics. One day Chatterjee came to meet Atal Bihari with tears in his eyes. He said, “I have been kicked up by my party.”
Atal Bihari Vajpayee in public meeting. Photo: Shukdev Bhachech/Dipam Bhachech/Getty Images
After Pramod Mahajan’s refusal, Sharad reached Mumbai for Pawar.
Sharad Pawar was among those opposition leaders who could go to Atal Bihari’s room without any prior notice during the Parliament session. All political issues were discussed between the two. Atal Bihari had given Pawar the status of cabinet minister by making him the chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority. Pawar wanted Atal Bihari to come to Mumbai to celebrate his 60th birthday. Atal Bihari asked his personal secretary to record this invitation in his diary. When Pramod Mahajan got information about Atal Bihari’s consent to participate in this program, he stopped him.
Told Atal Bihari that your presence will send a wrong message. Atal Bihari listened to them but stuck to his decision. When Atal Bihari’s convoy reached Mahalaxmi Race Course ground in Mumbai, there was a wave of happiness in the huge crowd present. Pawar considered himself blessed that Atal Bihari had come to Mumbai to wish him on his birthday.
Even with the opponent on the question of national interest
On the question of personal relations with the opposition, Atal Bihari kept politics aside. Where national interest was concerned, he did not care about what political benefit the rival government would get from his cooperation. P.V. His relations with Narasimha Rao were very cordial. In 1994, Rao requested Atal ji to lead the Indian delegation at the United Nations Human Rights Commission conference in Geneva. Atal Bihari accepted it. PTI According to Ashok Tandon, who covered the conference for Pakistan’s Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) Was convinced for the resolution against India.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee in public meeting. Photo: Sondeep Shankar/Getty Images
America, European and many western countries were not ready to vote in favor of India. This was a difficult test for Indian diplomacy. The delegation used to update Delhi daily. Tandon quoted the party’s deputy leader Salman Khurshid as saying, “We had to face a joint attack by Pakistan along with some other countries. But this time India had one voice. The unity of the opposition and the government was visible. Ultimately, on the day of voting, Pakistan withdrew its resolution. This was a great diplomatic victory for India.”
Gave and took support from the opposition
If Atal Bihari cooperated with rival governments on issues of national interest when he was in opposition, then when he was in power, Atal Bihari also received similar cooperation. After the Pokhran nuclear test, India had to face sanctions from many western countries including America. At such a time, the special envoys who went to many countries to present India’s side included former Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral and Najma Heptulla, who was then associated with the Congress. In the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha case, a Delhi court had convicted Narasimha Rao and Buta Singh of bribing MPs and sentenced them to three years’ imprisonment.
Rao sent Bhuvanesh Chaturvedi to Atalji. Inder Kumar Gujral also told Atal Bihari that such cases against former Prime Ministers and harassing them is wrong. Atal Bihari called Brajesh Mishra and said, “Finish this.”
The then Vice President Krishna Kant had also asked Bajpayee to help Rao. Delhi High Court Judge R. S. Sodhi had acquitted Rao and Buta Singh, considering the testimony of Shailendra Mahato, the only promissory witness in the case, as not reliable. The Bajpayee government did not appeal against this decision.
Many opposition leaders used to meet Atal Bihari without any restrictions.
Mamata Banerjee, whose conflict with BJP is at its peak these days, was ready to go to any extent in her support as Atal Bihari’s ally. When the Atal government fell by one vote in 1998, the N.D.A. When the discussion was raised about the possibility of an alternative leader for the government, Mamata said that no one other than Atal Bihari is acceptable.
According to Ashok Tandon, MDMK leader Vaiko was always at the forefront in defending Atal Bihari. Naveen Patnaik may not have been vocal, but his trust towards Atal Bihari was such that during his meetings with him, he used to consult him on issues related to his party Biju Janata Dal. Gujral, Jyoti Basu, Sharad Pawar, Pranab Mukherjee, Dr. Manmohan Singh, R. Leaders like Venkatraman, Prakash Singh Badal, Farooq Abdullah etc. could enter Atal ji’s office room in Parliament House without any restriction.
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