A Special Tribute on Atal Bihari Vajpayee's Birth Centenary

Atal Bihari Vajpayee's Deep Connection with Rajasthan

Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Lal Krishna Advani, and Bhairon Singh Shekhawat were the political foundation of BJP

• Gopendra Nath Bhatt

In politics, there are some leaders who are not seen through a political lens, but are respected by all, rising above party politics. One such remarkable personality was the late former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who was even respected by leaders of opposition parties. Vajpayee had a deep connection with Rajasthan, the neighboring state to his birthplace and place of work.

Many memories and anecdotes about him are still fresh in the conversations of the Rajmata and the people of Rajasthan.

Former Vice President of India and the late Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, was very close to Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Vajpayee, along with former Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani and Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, formed a prominent trio in political circles. These three leaders from the first generation of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh reached great heights in Indian politics over time. The political union of Vajpayee, Advani, and Shekhawat formed the backbone of the BJP.

Vajpayee and Shekhawat’s friendship was well-known. Vajpayee had performed all the rituals at the wedding of Shekhawat's daughter to former Rajasthan Minister Narpat Singh Rajvi. During the Emergency, Vajpayee’s quick wit and sense of humor in Tihar Jail became a topic of discussion among opposition leaders, including the late former Prime Minister Chandrashekhar.

The friendship between Vajpayee, Advani, and Shekhawat played a key role in Shekhawat becoming the Chief Minister of Rajasthan and later the Vice President of India. Whenever these three leaders met, there was always storytelling, laughter, and satire. Particularly, since Vajpayee was fond of food, special Rajasthani sweets like Rabri, Mishri Mawa, Bhagat’s Laddoos, and Gulab Sakri were always ordered for him.

Former Union Minister Jaswant Singh and Rajasthan’s Shiv Kumar Pariak were also very close to Vajpayee. Vajpayee entrusted Jaswant Singh with important responsibilities and ministries during his tenure as Prime Minister. Similarly, Shiv Kumar Pariak, Vajpayee's personal secretary, was by his side throughout, like a shadow. Pariak, a devotee of Lord Shiva, with his commanding presence, tall stature, and thick mustache, added to the strength of Vajpayee’s team. Their association began when Vajpayee was advised to seek a security assistant during his campaign in Balrampur, Uttar Pradesh. After a thorough search, Vajpayee chose Shiv Kumar Pariak, who had been a member of the RSS in Rajasthan. Due to his fitness and soft-spoken nature, he quickly earned Vajpayee’s admiration, and the two became close. Pariak looked after Vajpayee’s work when Vajpayee was absent.

Pokhran-2: India’s Power on the World Stage

During his tenure as Prime Minister, Vajpayee showcased India’s strength to the world with the successful nuclear test at Pokhran, located in the deserts of Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. On May 1998, Vajpayee conducted the nuclear tests under Operation Shakti, putting India on the world map as a nuclear power. He linked the slogans of "Jai Jawan Jai Kisan" by Lal Bahadur Shastri with "Jai Vigyan" (Hail Science). Despite the economic sanctions that followed, Vajpayee faced the challenges with courage.

Interesting Anecdotes Between Vajpayee and Rajasthan

Vajpayee had many fond memories with Kota, the hometown of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. Whenever he visited Kota, he would stay at the large Devtaji Haveli in Tipta region. Once, while staying at the haveli, Vajpayee was ready to leave early in the morning, and when former Minister Harikumar Audichya arrived with tea, he found Vajpayee dressed and ready. Vajpayee smiled and explained that he couldn’t sleep due to the loud snoring of an elderly watchman, so he decided to get up early and get ready. Despite his stature, Vajpayee never disturbed the elderly watchman sleeping on the porch.

Dalpat Surana from Udaipur often drove Vajpayee during his visits. Once, Surana’s car broke down on the way, and despite all efforts by others, Vajpayee patiently waited for Surana, who reached after getting the car repaired.

Vajpayee called Prof. Rasa Singh Rawat, who served as a five-time MP from Ajmer, "Doctor" instead of "Professor." In Parliament, Vajpayee trusted Rawat to speak on any topic and would say, "When Rasa Singh Rawat is around, there’s no need to worry."

Vajpayee’s Religious Faith in Pushkar and Khwaja’s Dargah

Vajpayee had deep religious faith in the pilgrimage town of Pushkar and Khwaja’s Dargah. Although he never visited the Ajmer Sharif Dargah, he sent a chadar every year on the occasion of Urs to pray for peace and prosperity in the country. Vajpayee had great reverence for Pushkar. In November 1992, during his visit to Rajasthan, he visited Pushkar Sarovar, where he performed religious rituals and expressed concern about the decreasing water levels in the sarovar. He wrote in the visitor's book: "Today, I had the opportunity to visit Pushkar again. A permanent solution for maintaining the water levels of the sarovar has not yet been found, and efforts should continue."

Congress Leaders Also Secretly Attended His Speeches

Atal Bihari Vajpayee was known for his captivating speeches, and his election rallies in Jaipur drew massive crowds. Thousands would gather just from word of mouth and loudspeakers announcing his speeches. His speeches were so popular that even senior Congress leaders and ministers used to secretly attend them.

Vajpayee’s witty and humorous style of speaking was admired by many. Rajasthan’s former Jana Sangh leaders like Satish Chandra Agarwal, Lalit Kishore Chaturvedi, Kailash Meghwal, and Kaushal Kishore Jain learned from Vajpayee's speaking techniques.

In 1971, Vajpayee campaigned for K.K. Birla’s Lok Sabha election from the Swatantra Party, and even Maharani Gayatri Devi of Jaipur and Maharawal Lakshman Singh of Dungarpur admired him.

Mount Abu: Vajpayee's Favorite Destination

Located on the border of Rajasthan and Gujarat, Mount Abu was one of Vajpayee’s favorite tourist destinations.

Vajpayee Ji Said...

To honor Vajpayee, well-known author, TV director, and journalist Brijendra Rehi’s book ‘What Atal Ji Said…’ has been widely discussed in Delhi. This book beautifully compiles Vajpayee’s speeches and photographs, preserving his legacy.