India Foundation hosted the 5th Atal Bihari Vajpayee Memorial Lecture (ABVML) on December 24, 2022, at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. The lecture was delivered by Shri Ram Nath Kovind, Former President of India, on the theme “Social Empowerment Through Good Governance: The Vajpayee Way“. Shri Jayant Sinha, Member of Parliament and Member, Governing Council, India Foundation, chaired the session.
The lecture was attended by more than 400 luminaries including social leaders, senior bureaucrats, Members of Parliament and industry leaders based out of Delhi. The lecture also saw a huge presence of university students, academic scholars and media contingent as well. On the eve of the birth anniversary of Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, dignitaries from various sections of the society poured in to pay homage and cherish his memory.
The session was moderated by Ms. Rami N. Desai. Vice Admiral Shekhar Sinha, former FOC-in-C Western Naval Command, and Member, Board of Trustees, India Foundation, delivered the welcome remarks. The introductory address was delivered by Shri Jayant Sinha, which was packed with his personal reflections and experiences during the life and times of Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Addressing the gathering, Former President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind shed light on the lesser known aspects of Shri Vajpayee’s charismatic personality. Delivering the keynote address, he stated that Shri Vajpayee was a multi-faceted political leader and a towering statesman with no enemies across the political spectrum. He also highlighted Shri Vajpayee’s commitment to the Indian Constitution and his respect for Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, and discussed at length his efforts towards ushering in social empowerment to realize the ideals of the Indian Constitution.
Shri Kovind declared that Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Ajatashatru of Indian politics, and stated, “He was a rare combination of a politician, poet, fearless human being and sympathetic leader who had no enemies, like Ajatashatru.” He emphasized the fact that it was Shri Vajpayee who was actually instrumental in installing Dr. Ambedkar’s portrait in the House of the Indian Parliament. Shri Vajpayee openly declared in one of his speeches that the Bharatiya Janata Party did not function on the basis of Manusmriti, but rather it worked on the ideals of “Bhimsmriti” or the Indian Constitution. This speech was critical in shaping the popular perception about the BJP as a political party, observed Shri Kovind.
The lecture served as a wonderful occasion to gain from the deep insights provided by Shri Ram Nath Kovind on the legacy and political thought of the great statesman Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The vote of thanks was delivered by Maj Gen Dhruv C. Katoch, Director, India Foundation.
