Five years after suffering a humiliating defeat at the hands of a much younger Jagan Mohan Reddy, Telugu Desam Party supremo N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday was on course to lead his party towards a landslide victory in the Andhra Pradesh assembly polls, with allies Bharatiya Janata Party and Janasena Party (JNP) in tow.
It is said that Vajpayee, who was also fluent in English, was the force behind uplifting Hindi to the international platform by using the language at the UN each time he delivered a speech.
The Bharat Ratna for him comes nine years after the honour was bestowed on former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The two leaders together spearheaded the journey of the Jana Sangh and then the BJP for over five decades.
He also met Ghana President John Agyekum Kufour on Friday night as part of his bilateral engagements on the sidelines of the CHOGM.
'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.
Bangladesh has conferred its prestigious liberation war honour on Vajpayee for his "active role" in its independence struggle
The BJP is trying to resolve the four-day old crisis set off by Khurana's expulsion.
Describing the unrest among party members as just the "tip of the iceberg," the report shed light on the underlying discontent within the BJP.
He will be around for another crack at the elections, and a clear majority, predicts Saisuresh Sivaswamy.
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 Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who is being treated in AIIMS for chest infection, is making a steady progress, doctors attending on him said today.
After a meeting of its working committee in New Delhi, the board adopted a resolution which stated that the recent judgment of the Supreme Court on the maintenance of Muslim divorcee women is "against the Islamic law (Shariah)".
Former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was on Sunday discharged from the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences as doctors declared him fit to go home after 26 days of stay at the Intensive Care Unit, family sources said.
'My chants in praise of BJP and RSS stalwarts were a reaction to what MPs like Owaisi did.'
Modelled loosely around the National Highway System of the US, he in 2001 launched the Golden Quadrilateral and the North-South & East-West Corridor projects to build 4/6 lane highways between four top metropolitan cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata as well as from Srinagar to Kanyakumari and Porbandar to Silchar.
His political career began with his involvement in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and he later became a member of the Shiv Sena.
While the Modi government had jump-started its second innings taking one major decision after another, there is a deep sense of loss in the party over the demise of Swaraj and Jaitley.
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.
Chandrababu Naidu's victory comes barely eight months after his political career seemingly crashed in September 2023 when the YSRCP government arrested him in an alleged corruption case.
Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Tuesday turned 88 with senior leaders, led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wishing him a healthy life.
'Till today, we don't know how many people died of Covid in India.' 'How many migrated from cities to villages during the Covid pandemic?' 'How many corporates contributed to PM Cares?'
'Besides Ayodhya, the BJP lost in nine other constituencies with a Ramayana imprint; it tasted success only in Thrissur.' 'In Rameswaram, K Navaskani of the Indian Union Muslim League won with a 44% voteshare in a 84% Hindu constituency.' 'In the 21 seats in the Ayodhya and Varanasi regions, both crucial to the Hindutva project, the BJP won just 7.' 'It won just 3 out of 12 seats around Modi's constituency,' points out Krishna Prasad.
The moderate All Parties Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Moulvi Umar Farooq on Wednesday hailed the former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's statement in which he had spoken 'of the need to take everybody forward within the ambit of humanity'.
The prime minister said that the rail transport system will reduce traffic congestion and pollution
'The longevity of the government is a doubt for me because when the going gets tough, there could a be a point in time where there might be pressure, from within the party or from the allies.'
'He was one of India's greatest leaders loved and respected by all. He will be missed.'
'The PM who is first among equals, who has to listen to others, take their point of view into account and who would have to be a good manager'
The BJP's strategy seem to be to wean away allies from the Congress, in Dravidian Tamil Nadu, and maybe later in UP, Bihar and elsewhere, though in slow doses, but without wooing them into a new alliance. The idea seems to be only to weaken the INDIA bloc from within -- and leaving it at that, notes N Sathiya Moorthy.
Listening to the wishes of thousands of his admirers and friends, former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee will celebrate Holi at his residence in New Delhi on Saturday. BJP all-India secretary Vijay Goel, who was an MoS in the Prime Minister's Office during the National Democratic Alliance regime, said Vajpayee would receive visitors between 11 am and 1 pm.
He did not spare even Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who had dropped by to wish him on his birthday.
'The lack of a majority isn't the issue. He has enough in 240, especially as none of his allies can pull down his coalition.' 'That's why he's started as if this were just another, normal term. That pretence is vital for him.' 'The change for Modi 3.0 comes not from numbers, but from the new environment of contestation,' points out Shekhar Gupta.
'Advani went by the book, by files, by advice given by his babus. He may be well read and articulate and a pleasant conversationalist, but none of that makes for the kind of creative politician that Vajpayee was.' 'This is the kind of observation about the Vajpayee premiership, more than the promise of espionage or Kashmir gossip, that made writing A S Dulat's book a satisfying experience,' says Aditya Sinha.
One hopes the new Lok Sabha will mark a break from a dismal tradition -- lack of interest in defence and security policies, argues Colonel Anil A Athale.
'Just because the NDA has a majority and the BJP is the single largest party does not mean that this Modi government enjoys a majority in the Lok Sabha.' 'It is always possible that some members (of the NDA and even the BJP) may defect, some members may not want him to be the prime minister and they might vote differently (against Modi) in the confidence vote.'
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader L K Advani on Wednesday night said he feels "awkward" attending functions where he feels his long-time associate and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee should have been present.
Modi earned his spurs as a doughty leader of the Opposition in the assembly, a post he held till 2004 when he got elected to the Lok Sabha from Bhagalpur.
Veteran Bharatiya Janata Party leader L K Advani has said the Ram Janmbhoomi movement, whose primary objective was construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, also became a symbol of 'reclaiming the true meaning of secularism from the onslaught of pseudo-secularism'.
The condition of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who is undergoing treatment at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, is improving and his dependence on ventilator support has reduced, doctors attending on him said on Wednesday.
The 17th Lok Sabha had 272 sittings altogether over its five-year tenure from 2019-2024.
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