Vajpayee's death not end, but continuation of his era: Jaitley
New Delhi, Aug 17 : BJP leader Arun Jaitley on Friday in his blog eulogised the late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and, disagreeing with many who termed his death "end of an era", emphasised that it would instead be "a continuation of the era" forged by the late leader.
"Atalji's demise is referred to by many as end of an era. I, however, consider it as a continuation of the era of which he was one who laid the foundation," Jaitley wrote.
He recounted Vajpayee's journey from a firebrand youth who cut his teeth with issues like "Kashmir Satyagraha" with Jan Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee, through the period when he strove to shape the Baharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as an alternative to the Congress, bit by bit.
"The essential aspect of his political journey, true to his name ‘Atal' was determination. In the world's largest democracy only the Congress party dominated in the first few decades. Atalji created an alternative, which in the last two decades became larger and bigger than the Congress," he wrote.
Jaitley, the former Defence Minister and now a Minister-without-a-Portfolio, lauded the wit, oratory, poetry and the famous conviviality of the leader with which he was able to make friends across all political parties.
"He had no personal enemies since he spoke mostly on issues rather than individuals. He was a wordsmith. He could use the facility of language to get out of any challenging situation. What he will be remembered for most will be is oration both in Parliament and outside," he said.
He termed Vajpayee, the Prime Minister, a "liberaliser", and as someone who always nodded in favour of the "liberal economic view" and "corrected the foreign policy imbalance".
On a more personal level, he reminisced about Vajpayee's love for food and politeness with which he handled bureaucrats or his ministers.
He called him a "patient runner" and an "iconic communicator" who was able to create an ideological alternative to the Congress in an era of "Nehruvian Congress".
"He was a patient runner. But for him, (Lal Krishna) Advaniji and their other colleagues, Indian democracy would have looked different -- dominated by one party, one family with a lot of scattered smaller parties. That did not happen.
"Atalji and his colleagues made the difference. Atalji has left the world. But the era of which he laid the foundation will prosper even more. That is the Vajpayee legacy," he summed up.
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PM Modi arrives Oman, exchanges perspectives with Deputy PM on bilateral ties
Muscat (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday interacted with Oman's Deputy Prime Minister for Defence Affairs Sayyid Shihab bin Tariq Al Said and exchanged perspectives on friendship between the two countries.
Modi, who arrived here on a two-day visit during which he will hold talks with the Gulf nation's top leadership and is expected to sign an ambitious trade deal, said his trip offers an opportunity to explore new avenues of collaboration and add fresh momentum to the bilateral partnership.
He was warmly welcomed by Sayyid Shihab at the airport and was accorded a ceremonial welcome.
"Landed in Muscat, Oman. This is a land of enduring friendship and deep historical connections with India. This visit offers an opportunity to explore new avenues of collaboration and add fresh momentum to our partnership," Modi said in a social media post.
Modi is visiting Oman at the invitation of Sultan Haitham bin Tarik. This is his second visit to the Gulf nation.
"Extremely grateful to HH Sayyid Shihab bin Tariq Al Said, Oman’s Deputy Prime Minister for Defence Affairs, for the warm welcome at Muscat airport. We also had a great interaction, exchanging perspectives on India-Oman friendship," Modi said.
Modi's visit is of special significance as it marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
The Prime Minister arrived here on the last leg of his three-nation tour. He earlier visited Ethiopia and Jordan.
When Modi arrived at the hotel, he was welcomed by the Indian community members. Local artists presented a traditional Omani performance. Indian artists presented colourful cultural performances, including Rajasthan's Ghoomar, Gujarati song, classical dance and Karnataka's folk dance.
He also witnessed an exhibition depicting 70 years of India-Oman diplomatic relations presented by diaspora at the hotel.
India has said that it is "very optimistic" about finalising an ambitious trade deal with Oman during the visit.
The free trade agreement between India and Oman was approved by the Union Cabinet last Friday.
Talks for the agreement, officially termed as CEPA (Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement), formally began in November 2023, and the negotiations concluded this year.
"We are all very optimistic about it. The teams from both sides have been working very hard for its early finalisation," Arun Chatterjee, a secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), had said at a media briefing when asked whether the proposed India-Oman comprehensive economic partnership agreement will be inked during Modi's visit.
"We have immense faith that this agreement, if signed during this visit, will significantly deepen the economic ties between India and Oman. And it will open up a new chapter in the history of India-Oman trade and commercial relationship," he said.
During the visit, Modi will also hold discussions with Sultan Tarik on strengthening the Strategic Partnership as well as a strong commercial and economic relationship.
Modi is also scheduled to address a gathering of the Indian diaspora here.
"This visit will be an opportunity for both sides to comprehensively review the bilateral partnership, including in the areas of trade, investment, energy, defence, security, technology, agriculture and culture, as well as exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest," the MEA said in an earlier statement.
Oman is the third-largest export destination for India among the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. India already has a similar agreement with another GCC member, the UAE, which came into effect in May 2022.
India-Oman bilateral trade was about USD 10.5 billion (exports USD 4 billion and imports USD 6.54 billion) in 2024-25. India's key imports are petroleum products and urea. These account for over 70 per cent of imports. Other key products are propylene and ethylene polymers, pet coke, gypsum, chemicals, iron and steel, and unwrought aluminium.
The main items of India's exports to Oman include mineral fuels, chemicals, precious metals, iron and steel, cereals, ships, boats and floating structures, electrical machinery, boilers, tea, coffee, spices, apparel, and food items.
