World

Atal Behari Vajpayee: Former India PM dies at 93

August 16, 2018 4:04 pm

Former Indian prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee has died aged 93.

He was being treated for age-related illnesses in Delhi’s AIIMS hospital.

Vajpayee was one of the founding members of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which currently governs India.

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Considered a giant of Indian politics, he served as prime minister three times between 1996 and 2004 and was instrumental in making India a global nuclear power.

During his second stint as prime minister in 1998, he surprised the world by announcing that India had conducted a series of underground nuclear tests.

He was being treated for age-related illnesses in Delhi’s AIIMS hospital.

Vajpayee was one of the founding members of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which currently governs India.

Considered a giant of Indian politics, he served as prime minister three times between 1996 and 2004 and was instrumental in making India a global nuclear power.

During his second stint as prime minister in 1998, he surprised the world by announcing that India had conducted a series of underground nuclear tests.