Atal Bihari Vajpayee was a much loved and adored Prime Minister. As a politician who was also a poet and a great orator, he is often seen as a moderate or even liberal leader. But his legacy is more complicated than meets the eye. He often straddled uncomfortably between secular India and its sectarian polity. Today, Vajpayee’s biographer Abhishek Choudhary joins us on Puliyabaazi to discuss the many facets of his life and his politics.

अटल बिहारी वाजपेयी एक लोकप्रिय राजनेता होने के साथ-साथ एक कवि और बेहतरीन वक्ता भी थे, और उन्हें अक्सर एक उदारवादी प्रधानमंत्री के रूप में देखा जाता है। लेकिन उनकी विरासत जितनी दिखती है, उससे कहीं ज़्यादा जटिल है। वे अक्सर धर्मनिरपेक्ष भारत और उसकी संकीर्ण राजनीति के बीच असहजता से जूझते रहे। आज, पुलियाबाज़ी में हमारे साथ जुड़ रहे हैं वाजपेयी के जीवनीकार अभिषेक चौधरी जिन्होंने उनके जीवन और उनकी राजनीति का बारीकी से अध्यन किया है। तो आइये, आप भी शामिल हो जाइये इस ज़बरदस्त चर्चा में।

We discuss:

* The Legacy of Vajpayee

* Approach for the Biography

* Researching for the book

* The Confusing 80s

* Evolution or Doublespeak?

* Prime Ministership

* Parallels between Vajpayee and Modi

* Policies during Vajpayee years

* Personal Life

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Related Links:

Book1: Vajpayee: The Ascent of the Hindu Right, 1924–1977

Book2: Believer's Dilemma: Vajpayee and the Hindu Right's Path to Power, 1977–2018

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Guest:@chacchachoudhry

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