New Delhi: Former Prime Minister and one of the most respected politician
Atal Bihari Vajpayee was born on December 25, 1924 in Gwalior. His birthday is celebrated by the government as Good Governance Day since 2014. The son of a schoolmaster from Gwalior, Mr Vajpayee joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or RSS in 1939 and became a full member in 1947. In 1951, he was drafted, along with Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, to work with the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the predecessor of his BJP. Mr Vajpayee served as Prime Minister from March 19, 1998, to May 22, 2004, and for a short period in 1996. In 2015, Mr Vajpayee was conferred the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award.
Here are the highlights on Atal Bihari Vajpayee's birthday: