Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the first non-Congress leader to serve a full term in power, died August 16 2018, at AIIMS in New Delhi, where he had been undergoing treatment for a kidney ailment since June. R
Atal Bihari Vajpayee served as the Prime Minister of India for three terms between 1996 and 2004. (Pictured- BJP Leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee with former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao during the 50th Year of Independence Day Parliament House Function- New Delhi, India December 9, 1996.)
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At an international platform by speaking in Hindi at the United Nations, Atal Bihari Vajpayee gave the Indian language a boost, and became the first person to speak in Hindi at the UN. (Pictured- Atal Bihari Vajpayee with Union Cabinet Ministers Ram Jethmalini, Murli Manohar Joshi and others [BJP, News Profile])
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In late 2000, his health started deteriorating, Vajpayee underwent a knee replacement surgery in 2001, and suffered a stroke in 2009, which impaired his speech. (Pictured-Then Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee gestures to the press at New Delhi's Presidential palace, after submitting his resignation. Vajpayee resigned as Prime Minister of the 12-day-old Hindu nationalist governme
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Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, President KR Narayanan and New Ministers of his Cabinet after the swearing in at Rashtrapati Bhavan- New Delhi, India March17, 1998.
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Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen (Second From Right), And Sitar Maestro Ravi Shankar (Right) after recie"‹ving India's Highest Civilian Award 'Bharat Ratna' with the then Indian Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee on February 16,1999. On December 25, 2014, Atal Bihari Vajpayee himself was awarded India’s highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna
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Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L.K. Advani next to the vacant seat of Pramod Mahajan during the BJP convention held in Mumbai- May 3, 2006.
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Najma Heptullah, former Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) chairperson and Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament, filing her nomination paper for the Vice Presidential election. Other dignitaries along with her are Atal Bihari Vajpayee, former Prime Minister of India, Lal Krishna Advani, Former President of Bharatiya Janata Partry (BJP) and Former Deputy Prime Minister, George Fernan
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