The birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee will be marked on December 25. Since 2014, the day has been celebrated annually as Good Governance Day. This year, India will observe the 98th birth anniversary of the former Prime Minister, born on December 25, 1924. The day was first celebrated in 2014 when Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya were conferred with Bharat Ratna posthumously. Following the award ceremony, the Government of India marked the day to be observed as Good Governance Day. As we celebrate Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s birth anniversary, let’s know more about the former Prime Minister in detail. Inspirational Quotes, Poems and Sayings by the Former Prime Minister of India on His Death Anniversary.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee's Early Life

Vajpayee was born in Gwalior in present-day Madhya Pradesh into a Hindu Brahmin family on December 25, 1924, to Krishna Devi and Krishna Bihari Vajpayee. His father was a schoolteacher in their hometown. As per historical records, his grandfather, Shyam Lal Vajpayee, had migrated to Morena near Gwalior from his ancestral village of Bateshwar in the Agra district of Uttar Pradesh. Vajpayee did his schooling at the Saraswati Shishu Mandir in Gwalior and was admitted to the Anglo-Vernacular Middle (AVM) School in Barnagar, Ujjain district, after his father joined as headmaster in 1934. He completed his post-graduation with a Master of Arts in political science from DAV College, Kanpur, Agra University. Atal Bihari Vajpayee Punyatithi 2022: Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah and Others Remember Former Prime Minister on His Death Anniversary.

He served three terms as the 10th prime minister of India. Vajpayee was one of the co-founders and a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He was the first Indian prime minister not of the Indian National Congress to serve a full term in office. Vajpayee was an eloquent speaker and prolific writer and is known for his poems in the Hindi language. He was an active member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and, later, the RSS-affiliated Jana Sangh.

During his tenure as prime minister, India carried out the Pokhran-II nuclear tests in 1998. Vajpayee sought to improve diplomatic relations with Pakistan, travelling to Lahore by bus to meet with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. After the 1999 Kargil War with Pakistan, he sought to restore relations through engagement with President Pervez Musharraf, inviting him to India for a summit at Agra.

Significance of The Day

In 2014, the Modi government declared that the birth anniversary of Atal Bihari Vajpayee would be commemorated annually in India as Good Governance Day on his birthday, which falls on December 25. Hence, Good Governance Day was established in 2014 to honour the former Prime Minister of India by fostering awareness among the Indian people of accountability in government.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 25, 2022 09:01 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).