New Delhi, Aug 16, 2020-
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweets a 1 minute 49 second montage of Atal Bihari Vajpayee starting with his poetry recitation, one knows the significance the man holds in the BJP and will continue to hold. From a time when the saffron party had just 2 seats in Parliament to becoming the Prime Minister of India, everyone who came in close contact with Vajpayee has their own ‘Vajpayee moments.
The most legendary of them was recounted by none less than Lal Krishna Advani, in an event few years back in the capital. In 1984, BJP was reduced to just 2 seats which left him heartbroken. A young Advani forced him to watch a movie in the capital’s Golcha. Upon return, he penned his iconic lines, “Har Nahi Manunga, Raar Nahi Thanunga, Kal ke kapal me mitata hun, Geet naya gata hun”.
As the auditorium broke into claps, Advani said, “Ye hai Vajpayee ji” (he was still alive at that point). A decade later, Ram Janmabhoomi movement changed India’s politics ultimately bringing the BJP to power at the Centre.
Another person whose life changed because of Vajpayee is Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi. Vajpayee had an eye for talent from the ABVP, the Sangh’s students wing. A couple of years after that humiliating defeat of 1984, Vajpayee attended Sushil Modi’s wedding when he asked him to publicly join mainstream politics.
“I have come here with a motive. Sushil is not a student anymore,” Vajpayee had announced publicly, surprising many and taking Sushil Modi offguard. “He has always been a dedicated worker who has contributed a lot to the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad,” Vajpayee had added, peaking the suspense of the otherwise joyous ceremony.
As Sushil Modi waited for what was to come next, Vajpayee had remarked, “Now, if he finds it agreeable, I would like to invite him to enter active politics and lend us a helping hand.” BJP was strengthening its organisation. Two-and-a-half decades later, Vajpayee may be gone but he gave the BJP its face in Bihar politics.
Delhi BJP leader Vijay Goel, who worked along Vajpayee and knew him up close says, “When Vajpayee was unwell, I used to get a volley of requests for arranging a visit to see him once. It was overwhelming. You must remember, he was away from public glare for years due to his health. But it did not bring down his popularity.” Talking about his personal takeaway from Vajpayee, Goel remarked, “He was a kind of Prime Minister who could summon one at any point. He had the amazing power to make one weep or laugh according to his wish.”
As India and more particularly the Bharatiya Janata Party remembers him on his second death anniversary, there are hardly any party leaders or cadres who came in contact with the poet-politician and yet don’t have an ‘Atal story’. (Agency)
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