Passing away of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee marked the end of an era. He reached parliament in 1957 on the ticket of Bharatiya Janata Party. He made his presence felt in the parliament. His personality and political associations were always in question, but when it came to the integrity of the nation he always rose above political loyalty. Atal Bihari Vajpayee took oath as Prime Minister for 3 times. He was the Prime Minister for 13 days in mid-1996. He again became the Prime Minister in March 1998 with new allies like the TDP, the AIADMK, the National Conference and the Samta Party. But his government fell 13 months later on the floor of the Lok Sabha. The BJP government headed by Vajpayee returned to power in 1999.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee was a moderate politician in a hardline party. His birthday on December 25 is celebrated as Good Governance Day. He was honoured with the Bharat Ratna in 2014. Vajpayee took peace initiative with Pakistan. He praised Indira Gandhi as Durga on India’s victory over Pakistan in the 1971 war of Bangladesh independence.