Before APJ Abdul Kalam was made the 11th President of India, the Bharatiya Janata Party had suggested sending the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to the post of President and making Lal Krishna Advani the Prime Minister. However, Vajpayee rejected this proposal outright. Ashok Tandon, former media advisor to former Prime Minister Vajpayee, has made this claim in his book ‘Atal Memoirs’.
Ashok Tandon’s book ‘Atal Memoir’ has been published by Prabhat Prakashan. Tandon was media advisor to Vajpayee from 1998 to 2004. According to the book, Vajpayee believed that it would not be right for Indian parliamentary democracy for a Prime Minister to become President on the basis of majority. Tandon writes that Vajpayee was not ready for this idea.
In Tandon’s words, ‘Vajpayee was not at all ready for this. He believed that a popular Prime Minister becoming President on the basis of majority would not be a good sign for Indian parliamentary democracy. This would set a very wrong precedent and he would be the last person to support such a move.
When Vajpayee unanimously decided to make him the President
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After this Vajpayee took steps towards building consensus for the post of President. He invited top leaders of the main opposition party Congress for talks.
Tandon writes that Sonia Gandhi, Pranab Mukherjee and Dr. Manmohan Singh attended that meeting. In the same meeting, Vajpayee officially informed for the first time that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has decided to make Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam its candidate for the post of President.
Vajpayee gave proposal, there was silence in the meeting
According to Tandon, there was silence in the meeting for a few moments. Then Sonia Gandhi broke her silence and said that she was surprised by this selection. She said that she has no option but to support it, but she will discuss the proposal and take a final decision.
Later, APJ Abdul Kalam was elected the 11th President of India in 2002 with the support of both the NDA and the opposition. He held this post till 2007.
In the book, Tandon has also mentioned many other incidents that happened during Vajpayee’s tenure as Prime Minister and his relations with various leaders.
Vajpayee and Advani’s friendship remained unbreakable
Writing on the pairing of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Lal Krishna Advani, Tandon has said that despite some policy differences, relations between the two leaders never deteriorated publicly.
According to Tandon, Advani always addressed Atal Bihari Vajpayee as ‘my leader and source of inspiration’, while Vajpayee called him his ‘unwavering companion’.
It is written in the book, the partnership between Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Lal Krishna Advani has been a symbol of cooperation and balance in Indian politics. He not only established BJP but also gave a new direction to both the party and the government.
Parliament attack mentioned in the book
The book also mentions an important conversation during the terrorist attack on Parliament on 13 December 2001. That day Vajpayee was at his residence and was watching the action of security forces on TV.
Tandon writes that during that time a call came from the then Congress President and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Sonia Gandhi. He said, I am worried about you, are you safe?
To this Vajpayee replied, Sonia ji, I am safe. I was worried that you might not be in the Parliament House. Take care of yourself.
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