Atal Bihari Vajpayee 97th birth anniversary: 11 iconic quotes by former Prime Minister of India

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Atal Bihari Vajpayee - a politician, a statesman and a poet was not only the 11th Prime minister of India but also the only Non- Congress PM to complete a full term in office. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, a Bharat Ratna awardee, was a co- founder of the Bhartiya Janata Party(BJP). He joined the RSS as a volunteer in 1930. Vajpayee, known for his excellent oratory skills, was the Indian Prime Minister who gave the go-ahead to the nuclear tests of 1998. It was under his leadership that India defeated Pakistan in the Kargil War of 1999. 

Being the statesman that he was, Vajpayee continued his quest for peace with Pakistan by indulging in bilateral talks with the then Pak military dictator Pervez Musharraf. Even before the war broke out between India and Pakistan, Vajpayee had gone to Lahore to meet the then Pak PM Nawaz Sharif, starting the famous bus service between Delhi and Lahore. 

Vajpayee was also one of BJP's leading advocate in matters that concern the party's core ideology including the Ram Mandir and revocation of Article 370. Vajpayee's famous words 'kashmiriyat, insaniyat, jamhuriat', will forever echo in the ears of those who remember the violent insurgency in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir at the adavent of the century. 

Before Indian Cricket Team's famous tour to Pakistan in 2004, Vajpayee met the team and presented the team captain, Saurav Ganguly, with a bat. Written on the bat were his famous words -- 'Khel hi nahi, dil bhi jeeto'.

Today, as India celebrates his 97th birth anniversary, IndiaTVnews.com brings to you the 11 most iconic quotes by Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

1. Truth cannot be hidden for fear that somebody would exploit it

2. It is easy to win elections by raising slogan of “garibi hatao” but slogans do not remove poverty.

3. No guns but only brotherhood can solve the problems

4. We are unnecessarily wasting our precious resources in wars…If we must wage war, we have to do it on unemployment, disease, poverty and backwardness

5. You can change friends but not neighbors

6. Quiet diplomacy is far more effective than public posturing

7. India is not a piece of land but a living entity

8. I would like that no citizen of the state feels alone and helpless. The entire nation is with them

9. Victory and defeat are a part of life which are to be viewed with equanimity

10. If India is not a secular nation, then India is not India at all

11. Hard work never brings tiredness, it brings satisfaction