The life and times of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, former prime minister of India

Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the first non-Congress prime minister to complete a full term in office, died in Delhi on Thursday after a prolonged illness, doctors said. He was 93.

Here is a brief time of his lifeline and career.

1924: Atal Bihari Vajpayee is born in Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior

1942: Arrested and held for 24 days. He later wrote in a piece titled ‘The Sangh is my Soul’: “I participated in the Quit India movement in 1942 and was jailed…”

1951: After working as a journalist, he joins the newly formed Bharatiya Jan Sangh

1957: Elected to the Lok Sabha for the first time

1962: Becomes a member of the Rajya Sabha

1975: Jailed during the Emergency

1977-79: Serves as the external affairs minister in the Janata Party government

1980: Cuts ties with the Janata Party and helps found the Bharatiya Janata Party. He is chosen as the president of the party

1992: Awarded the Padma Vibhushan for contribution in the field of public affairs

1996: Becomes the Prime Minister but is forced to resign in 13 days after the BJP unsuccessfully attempts to stitch together an alliance with regional parties. On May 28, he – in what has become a landmark speech — resigned on the floor of the House before a trust vote

1998: Sworn in as PM after the BJP emerges as the single largest party and forms the National Democratic Alliance government

1998: Under Vajpayee’s leadership, India conducts five nuclear tests on May 11 and 13 at the Pokhran range in Rajasthan. Seventeen days later, Pakistan conducts its own nuclear tests

1999: The government lasts a little over a year. Vajpayee resigns in April after his party loses the vote of confidence

1999: Becomes the PM for a third time in October after the NDA emerges as the largest political alliance

2000: Signs a statement on ‘US-India Relations: A Vision for the 21st Century’ along with Bill Clinton during the US President’s visit to India in March. The statement talks of a “pledge to reduce impediments to bilateral trade and investment, and to expand commerce between the two nations”

2000: In September, after an invitation to address a joint session of the US Congress, he speaks at a joint session. Vajpayee says his visit to Washington has “consolidated relations between the world’s two largest democracies and marked a new era in bilateral and global affairs”

2004: In May, he resigns as the PM following the NDA’s defeat in the Lok Sabha elections

2005: Retires from active politics

2009: Has a stroke that impairs his speech

2015: Conferred the Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest civilian award. In a departure from protocol, President Pranab Mukherjee drives to Vajpayee’s residence and presents the award to the ailing leader. Prime Minister Narendra Modi says: “There are crores of workers around the country who draw inspiration from Atalji”

August 16, 2018: Vajpayee passes away in Delhi