Rise and Fall of Vajpayee Government

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The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, was originally formed in 1998. It again came to power in 1999 and remained in office at the centre till May 13, 2004. Following the defeat of the NDA at the Lok Sabha elections, a new Congress-led united progressive alliance has come to power with the eminent economist, Dr. Manmohan Singh, as the Prime Minister. The Vajpayee Government took some bold strides after assuming office. Its governance was marked by emphasis on the nation’s development and security. Its policy of liberalisation and disinvestment and privatisation, and promotion of information technology, gave a boost to the economy and Indians started feeling like active partners in a globalised set-up. The success of the Kargil confrontation with Pakistan and the nuclear initiative brought laurels for the government. But the Vajpayee Government had its own flaws and weaknesses. According to the author, the NDA Government communalised the polity and sought to destroy the social fabric of the country. Farmers were neglected. Women were marginalised and huge unemployment alienated the youth. The many scams, particularly in the defence sector, alleged corruption in certain deals connected with the disinvestment and privatisation process and, to a great extent, the ghastly Gujarat riots, brought bad name to the Vajpayee Government leading to its ultimate collapse. This book traces the different stages of the Vajpayee Government and should be read by all those interested in statecraft and governance.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR O.P. Agrawal

O.P. Agrawal, Founder and Former Director of the National Research Laboratory for Conservation of Cultural Property and at present Director General of the INTACH Indian Council of Conservation Institutes is considered to be the foremost international authority in the field of conservation of cultural heritage of Asia. During his long career of almost 50 years, he has been intimately connected with numerous national and international professional organizations. Activities of O.P. Agrawal have been multi faceted and in him, one can find an amalgam of a creator, a visionary, a scientist, a writer, a researcher, a trainer, a conservator and a museologist. He is the president of the International Council of Bio-deterioration of Cultural Property; is the former President of the India Association of the Study of Conservation of Cultural Property and was also the president of the Museums Association of India. He acted as the Vice-President of the ICCROM Council, Rome for several years. He has often been invited to go abroad as a Consultant on behalf of UNESCO, ICOM and ICCROM. He has authored or edited about 35 books and contributed more than 200 articles. He is the recipient of the International Award "Personality of Conservation" - 1990 from Brazil and ICCROM Award - 1993. Kanpur University conferred upon him D.Litt. (Honoris Causa) in 1994.