Prime Minister Manmohan Singh set aside political differences to call on him and greet him on the occasion.
Had it not been for Pankaj Tripathi, who must have worked hard to get those Vajpayee intonations and mannerisms so perfectly well, Ravi Jadhav's flattering portrait of Vajpayee would have been more vacuous than what we get to see, observes Prasanna Zore.
'Despite the subsequent events at Kargil and the October 12, 1999 military coup in Pakistan, the Lahore initiative firmly established Vajpayee's credentials as a crusader of peace,' says Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
'Nawaz Sharif asked: "What if I invited him and he declined?"' 'I said I will check.' 'Vajpayee liked the idea. He said I should see him on my return.' Shekhar Gupta reveals how Sharif wanted to make peace, but was tripped by the army and notes the lessons it has for Imran Khan.
Prime Minister Modi will visit RSS headquarters in Nagpur on March 30.
'I was present at a meeting where he decided to permit the IAF to strike at Pakistan positions in Kargil, with the caveat that they should not cross the LoC.' 'Confident that the Indian Army would succeed, Mr Vajpayee was positioning himself to tell the world after the Kargil conflict was won that India did not violate the 'sanctity' of the LoC,' recalls Ambassador G Parthasarathy, who served as India's envoy in Islamabad in that eventful year, 1999.
It's time India re-visited its Western alliances for the attitude and approach that the West reserves for the nation when it comes to security cooperation of the kind that they might not have visualised outside of China, India's bug-bear, asserts N Sathiya Moorthy.
Thousands of mourners jostled and some clambered on trees to capture the moment on their phones as former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's cortege left the Bharatiya Janata Party's headquarters for Rashtriya Smriti Sthal.
'As events at Kargil and Pakistan's continued support to terror activities in India prove, Pakistan has always felt that the break-up/destruction of India was within its capability,' notes Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
During Vajpayee's tenure, he was there as an indispensable insider, witness to every action that had an impact on history: Pokhran-II (nuclear tests in 1998), the 1999 Kargil conflict between India and Pakistan, the Indo-Pak Agra Summit in 2001, intense engagement with the United States on nuclear issues besides the Kandahar hijack.
Dr Singh played well on rhetoric; after playing dove, he satisfied the hawks too.
The meeting was attended by CMs of Kerala, Punjab and Telangana -- Pinarayi Vijayan, Bhagwant Manna and A Revanth Reddy, Karnataka deputy CM DK Shivakumar, and senior BRS leader KT Ramarao among others.
Do you, our dear readers, think it is high time the Union government awarded the Bharat Ratna to Atal Bihari Vajpayee? Or do you believe that the former prime minister does not deserve India's greatest civilian honour?
Former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was on Sunday conferred Award of Bangladesh Liberation War Honour for his "active role" in the country's independence struggle and consolidating India's friendship with the nation.
'According to JP, Indira Gandhi was not much of a danger to democracy. He said, it was Sanjay Gandhi and his gang.'
Former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Sunday made his first public appearance in recent months on Holi, but chose not to make any comments before the media. The 83-year-old leader, looking hale and cheerful, accepted greetings and was also seen making brief responses to the guests during his hour-long appearance at his residence.
Union Minister Farooq Abdullah on Monday backed the Bharatiya Janata Party's demand for according the Bharat Ratna to former prime minister and veteran leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has threatened to invoke provisions of POTA against the Union minister for his speech allegedly supporting the LTTE.
Days after the Congress praised A B Vajpayee to target Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial Narendra Modi, the party did a U-turn on Monday, calling the BJP veteran "the weakest PM India ever had", a taunt often directed at Manmohan Singh by the opposition party.
Musharraf and the former PM agreed that the new chapter that had begun in Indo-Pak ties must be carried forward.
Former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee Thursday night announced his retirement from active politics saying henceforth he would not contest elections.
Former Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief K S Sudarshan and former Bharatiya Janata Party president Murli Manohar Joshi on Friday attended a function to release a book, which severely criticises former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Soon after his return from foreign tour, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday visited former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's house here and greeted him on his 91st birthday.
'The sorry image of a wailing leader visiting relief camps for riot victims was completely incoherent with what he did next, blaming the minority community for the disturbance.' Utkarsh Mishra pens a tribute from the heart.
Vasundhra Raje, who resigned as Leader of Opposition in the Rajasthan Assembly following orders from the BJP high command, on Friday met former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
BJP president JP Nadda said on Sunday that the party does not seek to control the Waqf Board but wants to ensure that those managing it operate within the bounds of law and adhere to established rules. He said the properties and funds of the Waqf Board should be dedicated to promoting education, providing healthcare and employment opportunities for the Muslim community. Nadda also highlighted the BJP's growth and achievements, emphasizing its commitment to national unity and cultural heritage.
The meeting will take place at Hotel Renaissance, where the BJP is holding its three-day national executive.
Tell us who you think would be the right person to lead the country after Vajpayee, and why.
Asked about his newfound aggression in Parliament, the former PM said he wanted to tell people that he was 'still around'.
Besides Beijing, Vajpayee would travel to Shanghai, China's largest city and commercial hub, and the Buddhist city of Luoyang in central China.
He has made known his concern over the continuing violence in Assam and Bihar.
Former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee is making steady progress with his pneumonic attack having almost subsided, doctors attending on him at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences said on Thursday. Vajpayee, who was admitted to the hospital following complaints of chest infection, has shown considerable improvement and his dependence on ventilator has been further reduced.
Former prime minister and BJP veteran leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee and freedom fighter Madan Mohan Malaviya will be conferred with the country's highest civilian award the "Bharat Ratna" after President Pranab Mukherjee gave his consent in his regard on Wednesday.
'All the big things happening today in economic development have their beginning in Dr Manmohan Singh's ideas.'
A foreign ministry spokesman familiar with the process said Bangladesh will hand over Vajpayee's "Friends of Bangladesh Liberation War Award" to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his upcoming visit to the country from June 6.
Chhonzin Angmo became the first visually-impaired woman from India to plant the Tricolour on Earth's highest mountain.
