India is celebrating the 98th birth anniversary of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee today (December 25, 2022). Since 2014, Vajpayee's birth anniversary has been celebrated annually as Good Governance Day. Born in 1924 in Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior Vajpayee was popularly known as 'man of the masses.'
His entry into mainstream politics began after he joined the Quit India Movement in 1942. As a student of political science in college Vajpayee had a keen interest in foreign affairs. A Bharat Ratna Awardee Vajpayee joined the Bharatiya Jana Sangh which was the forerunner of BJP, in 1951. In 1980, he co-founded the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), along with his close associate and, later, his deputy PM, Lal Krishna Advani.
Vajpayee first took charge as Prime Minister of India for a short period in 1996, followed by a second and a third term between 1998-2004. After Jawaharlal Nehru, Vajpayee was the first person to attain the position of the Prime Minister of India with two successive mandates. The Padma Vibhushan, which is the country's second-highest civilian honour, was conferred upon Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 1992. He was also conferred India's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna afterwards.
Besides politics, the late former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee is also known to be an eloquent speaker and prolific writer. He is known for his poems, most of which he authored in Hindi. Vajpayee, who was an active member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and later, the RSS-affiliated Jana Sangh, held several important portfolios in his political career, including the all-important minister of external affairs.
Vajpayee passed away on August 16 in 2018 because of age-related illness.
The Centre and state governments are organising events to mark Vajpayee's birth anniversary. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday paid tributes to Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his 98th birth anniversary and said his contribution to India is indelible. Modi tweeted, "Tributes to Atal Ji on his Jayanti. His contribution to India is indelible. His leadership and vision motivate millions of people."
In order to mark Good Governance Day, Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Dr Jitendra Singh is also set to launch the revamped Probity Portal, e-HRMS 2.0 Portal and e-Books on major initiatives and achievements of his Ministry in New Delhi.
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