Vajpayee architect of India's transition into 21st century: PM Modi
New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised Atal Bihari Vajpayee as the architect of India's transition into the 21st century and said the BJP stalwart ushered in reforms that set the stage for India's economic surge, abandoning an economic philosophy which encouraged cronyism and stagnation.
In an article which appeared in several newspapers on the 100th birth anniversary of Vajpayee, Modi said he spent his long parliamentary tenure largely in the opposition benches but never carried any trace of bitterness even though the Congress stooped to new lows by going to the extent of calling him a "traitor".
Modi said, "He stands tall as a statesman who continues to inspire countless people."
The prime minister said Vajpayee provided stable and effective governance at a time when people were getting impatient and sceptical about the government's ability to deliver due to the political instability of the 90s when four Lok Sabha polls were held in about nine years.
Coming from humble roots, Vajpayee realised the struggles of the common citizen and the transformative power of effective governance, Modi said, adding that the long-term impact of his leadership is visible in several sectors.
His era marked a gigantic leap in the world of information technology, telecom and communications, he said.
"The NDA government under Atal ji made the first serious attempt to make technology accessible to citizens. At the same time, there was foresight in connecting India. Even today, most people recall the Golden Quadrilateral Project which connected the length and breadth of India," he said.
He also cited initiatives like the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana and the push for Metro connectivity by doing extensive work for the Delhi Metro, which stands out as a world-class infrastructure project.
He said, "The Vajpayee government not only boosted economic growth but also brought distant regions closer, fostering unity and integration."
An initiative like the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan highlights how Vajpayee dreamt of building an India where modern education is accessible to people across the nation, particularly the poor and marginalised sections, he added.
His government's decision to carry out nuclear tests and its handling of the aftermath provide a wonderful example of his leadership, Modi said.
He said, "The world was stunned that India had done the tests and expressed their anger in no uncertain terms. Any ordinary leader would have buckled, but Atal ji was made differently. And what happened? India stood firm, with the government calling for another set of tests two days later, on May 13."
If the tests of May 11, 1998, showed scientific skill, the ones on May 13 showed true leadership, he said.
It was a message to the world that gone were the days when India would buckle under threats or pressure, he said.
Despite facing international sanctions, Modi said, the NDA government stood firm, articulating India's right to safeguard its sovereignty while simultaneously being the strongest proponent of world peace.
Modi said Vajpayee understood Indian democracy and also the need to make it stronger. He presided over the creation of the NDA, which redefined coalitions in Indian politics and became a force for development, national progress and regional ambitions.
"His parliamentary brilliance was seen throughout his political journey. He belonged to a party with a handful of MPs but his words were enough to rattle the might of the all-powerful Congress Party that time. As Prime Minister, he blunted the criticisms of the Opposition with style and substance," Modi said.
Vajpayee was not one to cling to power through opportunistic means. He preferred to resign in 1996 instead of following the path of horse-trading and dirty politics, the prime minister said, adding that his government fell by one vote in 1999.
Eventually, he came back with another resounding mandate from the people.
Modi said, "When it comes to commitment to protecting our Constitution too, Atal ji stands tall. He was deeply impacted by the martyrdom of Syama Prasad Mookerjee. Years later, he was a pillar of the anti-Emergency movement."
In the run-up to the 1977 elections, he agreed to the merger of his own party (Jana Sangh) into the Janata Party as safeguarding the Constitution was all that mattered to him, he said.
Modi noted that as external affairs minister, Vajpayee became the first Indian leader to speak in Hindi at the United Nations, noting that this shows how deeply rooted he was in the Indian culture.
His persona was magnetic and his life was enriched by his love for literature and expression, he said.
Modi said for so many Bharatiya Janata Party members like him, it is their privilege that they were able to learn and interact with a person like Vajpayee.
Whenever the choice came between ideology and power, Vajpayee always chose the former, Modi said.
"He was able to convince the nation that an alternative world view from the Congress was possible and such a world view could deliver," he said, asking people to rededicate themselves to realising his ideals and fulfilling his vision for India.
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FIDE Women's World Cup final: Humpy draws with Divya in first game
Batumi (Georgia), Jul 26 (PTI): Young Indian International Master Divya Deshmukh held her nerves to hold stalwart Koneru Humpy to a draw in game 1 of the FIDE Women's World Cup final, with both players having their share of opportunities to take the lead here on Saturday.
The draw with black means Humpy, the two-time World Rapid champion, holds a slight edge going in the second and final game under the classical chess rules in the two-game mini-match, and should the deadlock continue, games of shorter duration will be played to determine the winner.
Humpy employed the Queen's gambit accepted as black and it turned out to be a pretty fascinating game right out of the opening as Divya, 19, came up with a piece sacrifice early to deny the black king the right to castle.
Humpy was the first to err and, according to computers, Divya had things under control on the 14th move. However in her bid to recover the extra material, the Nagpur girl, who has secured a place in the Candidates tournament with her sterling performance here, missed a promising continuation.
What followed the exchange of all minor pieces and the ensuing queen and rook endgame gave enough counter play to both players. The game was eventually drawn after Humpy sacrificed her rook to force perpetual checks.
"The game saw an extremely sharp battle with the game ending in a draw in 41 moves. On move 7, Divya made her aggressive intentions clear by offering another pawn,
which looked like home preparation. Humpy made a practical decision of refraining from taking the pawn and a balanced position was reached by move 10 by white," said Grandmaster Pravin Thipsay, an Arjuna awardee and the first Indian to get a chess Grandmaster norm.
"However, instead of developing the undeveloped Knight, Humpy retreated the centralised Knight on move 10, giving huge positional advantage to Divya. Divya could have gained huge positional advantage on the 12th move by moving a rook. However, she chose to play for King side attack by sacrificing a piece instead.
"Humpy, too, erred at this stage and instead of moving the King to Queen side, moved it to the King side. Divya, on move 14, could have obtained a crushing attack by threatening a mate by developing her Queen. Instead she chose to exchange a pair of Bishops first, which enabled Humpy to defend her King by returning the piece," said Thipsay.
"Players thus reached a balanced Queen and two Rooks ending. Divya continued to play ambitiously and tried to attack Humpy’s King but the latter defended accurately and the game was drawn in 41 moves by perpetual check," he added.
In the play-off for the third place, Chinese players Zhongyi Tan, the former women's world champion and top seed Lei Tingjie also decided to split points out of a Queen’s gambit declined game.
The opening raised visions of a close contest between the two but having been knocked out of title race in the previous round, none of them wanted to take any huge risk. It was still a middle game when the players shook hands.
With the top two positions sealed for the Indians, the berth to the next Candidates is also assigned, while the player finishing third will also get an entry to the premier event scheduled for 2026.
Results: Divya Deshmukh (Ind) drew with Koneru Humpy (Ind); Zhongyi Tan (Chn) drew with Tingjie Lei (Chn).
