Vajpayee alike Mahatma Gandhi, says Rajnath

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday drew parallel between Mahatma Gandhi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, saying the former prime minister is the only politician in independent India with a charismatic personality like the father of the nation.

Praising Vajpayee, Singh said that the BJP veteran had an incomparable and magnetic personality which captivated all.

"If this question is raised that who is an incomparable personality in Indian politics then I believe the answer to that question would be honorable Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji. The people, who know Atal ji, are aware that he was an epitome of spontaneity and simplicity. He had immense ability to captivate people through his dynamic personality," said Singh at the launch of senior journalist Vijay Trivedi's book titled 'Haar nahi manoonga, ek atal jeevan gaatha'.

"The way Mahatma Gandhi was respected and held a position in the nation before Independence and the way he is looked up now, the same way if we talk of modern day politics of Independent India then Atal ji also have same kind of stature and personality," he added.

Singh said with an impeccable persona, the former prime minister also majored the art of governance.

"Nobody can deny this fact that ever since he started his political career, his fame kept on increasing. All Opposition leaders also respected him. During his role as the Foreign Affair Minister and Prime Minister, he also proved his mettle in the sphere of governance," Said Singh.

In his book, Trivedi has several tales to tell about Vajpayee and the lessons that people can learn from it.

Trivedi has interviewed a number of party and non-party leaders, bureaucrats and people, who knew Vajpayee very closely. His research gives a very informative book that takes us through Vajpayee's life.