Thread by @anandpdwivedi

A detailed thread on the life and facts of #BharathRatna Sri #AtalBihariVajpayee Ji: A visionary, statesman, politician, leader of people, and loved by all. In his political career which spanned several decades, he created a legacy which will ensure that he'll never be forgotten.

A respectable figure & one of the greatest politicians of India. Also known as the “#BhishmaPitamah” of Indian politics,#AtalJi's personality was able to win over not only all the countrymen but also his oppositions. He was a gem of a politician who always put his #country first.

He was born on 25 December 1924 in Gwalior.

His father was Pandit Krishan Bihari Vajpayee.

He was a teacher. His mother's name was Krishna.

He studied at Victoria College, Gwalior, which is now Laxmibai College. He joined the RSS as a student & became a national level debater.

#AtalJi attended DAV College, #Kanpur where He&His father studied Law together. Both attended same class & lived in the same hostel room but when students started talking about the father-son duo, both were placed in different sections. He did his 1st Div PG in Political Science

Always wanted to become a journalist but entered politics by chance, as told by him in an interview.

It was under the mentorship of Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee and Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay that #AtalJi's political philosophy grew.

#AtalJi also worked for some time as a #journalist with Panchjanya, Rashtra Dharm, Dainik Swadesh and Veer Arjun.

His oratory skills had impressed Jawaharlal Nehru to a great extent & he had predicted that Atalji will become Prime Minister of India one day which he proved right

After Independence, #AtalJi became National General Secretary of Bharatiya Jan Sangh and was in-charge of North #India.

In 1957, he contested Lok Sabha #elections from three seats on the Jan Sangh ticket. He lost in #Lucknow, lost his in Gwalior but won from Balrampur.

His oratorical skills so impressed Nehru that he predicted that one day #AtalJi would become PM of India.

After the death of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay in 1968, he became National President of JanSangh

During the national Emergency from 1975 to 1977,he went to jail several times

In 1977, he became Foreign Minister in the Morarji Desai govt

As the FM, he addressed the UN General Assembly in 1977. He spoke in Hindi. This was the first time that anyone had addressed the UN in Hindi. #AtalJi himself said that this was one of the crowning moments of his life

In 1980, Vajpayee, Advani and B S Shekhawat formed the Bharatiya Janata Party. Vajpayee became the first president of the party.

He was a vocal opponent of the Congress in the eighties.

He spoke strongly against the growth of terrorism in Punjab and openly attacked Congress.

He won #LokSabha elections nine times. He was also a member of the #RajyaSabha from 1962 to 1967 and in 1986.

In 1996, it was under his leadership that the #BJP emerged as the single largest party in Lok Sabha.

The then president, S D Sharma invited #AtalJi to form the gov.

#AtalJi took oath as the 10th prime minister of India. But he was unable to prove his majority on the floor of the house and resigned after 13 days.

Held the highest office for three times & was the first Prime Minister to run a Coalition Government in India with 26 parties.

After the 1998 elections, BJP formed the govt with the help of other parties. #AtalJi again became PM

The most popular politician &the 1st ever non-congress PM to serve a full term of 5yrs in office, widely respected not only by his followers but also his opponents – A Rare fact

@girirajsinghbjp @NaniBellary @SwarajyaMag @Vaidehee_c @DrGPradhan @sambitswaraj @NupurSharmaBJP @MajorPoonia @AnupamPKher @AjayKushwaha_ Shortly after coming to power, #AtalJi green signaled nuclear tests in Pokhran.

The peace process with Pakistan led to the Lahore Accord. He also brought back the Delhi-Lahore bus service.

The Kargil War went on from May to July 1999 and resulted in victory for #India.

Narasimha Rao, former Prime Minister of #India, used to treat #AtalJi as his political guru.

As per 'scrolldroll' #AtalJi's sister used to throw his pants across the wall which he wore outside the house because his father was a government employee and didn’t allow him to wear #RSS Khakhi pant, this shows his love for #RSS
@Ramesh_BJP @vanitajain21 @yashshiningstar

@Ramesh_BJP @vanitajain21 @yashshiningstar Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ji practiced celibacy and didn’t get married. Although, he adopted a daughter whose name is Namita.
@BesuraTaansane @IndiaKaPrahari @Palash0123 @ShampaDey13 @Maango_maan @being_penman @rao_nava @ExSecular @Ashtalakshmi8 @drmonika_langeh @mona_sez @JayaRjs

#Vajpayee ji is the only Parliamentarian who was elected for Lok Sabha, for 10 times, from 4 different states: UP, MP, Gujarat, and Delhi.
@megirish2001 @MrsGandhi @girishs2 @rose_k01 @chitraa_me @genitha6 @iSanjuktaP @Sapna_3 @kavita_tewari @AsYouNotWish @archu243 @archanatriv

#AtalBihariVajpayee is the first External Affairs Minister & the first person to deliver a Speech in Hindi at the United Nations General Assembly.
@Archana071114 @Saru81589968 @ParasKGhelani @ProfSRK @RakeshSinha01 @DostKhan_Jammu

#Vajpayee Ji launched the Golden Quadrilateral project, Prime Minister Rural Road Network scheme and Education for All during his term as prime minister.

#Vajpayee ji allowed nuclear weapons and their testing. The Pokhran nuclear test was held during his tenure

The Agra Summit took place between #AtalJi and General Pervez Musharraf between 14 and 16 July 2001.

To illustrate the power of “#Science”, #Vajpayee Ji improvised the famous quote by Lal Bahadur #Shastri- Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan.

#AtalJi’s truest passion was “#Poems”. He released 2 albums with Jagjit Singh featuring his poems:
#NayiDisha (1999) & #Samvedna (2002).

To bring in full-scale diplomatic peace process with Pakistan, #Vajpayee Ji inaugurated the historic Delhi-Lahore bus service in February 1999.

#Vajpayee ji was sick for a long time, went under 10 surgeries in last 20 years.

In 2001, #AtalJi underwent knee replacement surgery

In 2009, he suffered a brain stroke. After that, he retired from public life.

#AtalJi dedicated his great career in politics to Amar Kirti Vijay Pataka by Mahatma Ramchandra Veer.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ji's Birthday (#25thDecember) has been declared as Good Governance Day by the NDA.
#GoodGovernanceDay
#AtalBihariVajpayee
#AtalJayanti
@Ramesh_BJP @vanitajain21 @VarierSangitha @SoniaGurnani19 @ParasKGhelani @ProfSRK @Ashtalakshmi8 @MuralikrishnaE1

#AtalJi was Honoured with #PadmaVibhushana in 1992, the Best Parliamentarian award in 1994 & #BharatRatna in 2014.

#AtalBihariVajpayee Ji had a great run as the Prime Minister and reshaped #India in many ways. With his sheer political #intelligence, he not only became an #epitome of #leadership but also won the hearts of many with his wit and poems.

Ref: GaonConnection & ScrollDroll