Atal Bihari Vajpayee Quotes, Status, and Thoughts

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If Pakistan claims to be a crucial partner in the international coalition against terrorism, how can it continue to use terrorism as an instrument of state policy against India?

If Pakistan had not accepted the demand to stop cross-border infiltration and the United States had not conveyed to us Pakistan's guarantee to do so, then nothing could have stopped a war.

India and the United States have taken a decisive step, away from the past. The dawn of the new century has marked a new beginning in our relations. Let us work to fulfil this promise and the hope of today. Let us remove the shadow of agitation that lies between us and our joint vision.

India was secular even when Muslims hadn't come here and Christians hadn't set foot on this soil. It is not as if India became secular after they came. They came with their own modes of worship, and they, too, were given a place of honor and respect. They had the freedom to worship God as per their wish and inclination.

I have a vision of India: an India free of hunger and fear, an India free of illiteracy and want.

Let no one challenge India's secularism.

We have ended hunger, but now we have to end famine.

The spending in science and technology need to be to increased.

While accepting donations, no one looks at the colour of money.

Neither India nor Russia perceives a threat from the strength of the other. Each sees a benefit for itself in the increased political and economic strength of the other.

I prefer to die rather than eat beef.

Violence does not contribute to anything.

It is true that of all the states in India, Nagaland has a unique history. We are sensitive to this historical fact. But this uniqueness has in no way diminished the spirit of patriotism among the Naga people.

India has a consistent and well-known position on terrorism. We oppose all acts of terrorism, wherever they occur. We have repeatedly said that no cause can justify violence and destruction, particularly aimed at civilians.

I believe India and Israel should focus on building bilateral relations on the basis of shared perspectives and commonalities between our two democracies. This has to be a forward-looking exercise rather than harking back to perceptions of the past.

India was secular even when Muslims hadn’t come here and Christians hadn’t set foot on this soil. It is not as if India became secular after they came. They came with their own modes of worship, and they, too, were given a place of honor and respect. They had the freedom to worship God as per their wish and inclination

As we talk with candor, we open the doors to new possibilities and new areas of cooperation in advance in democracy, in combating terrorism, in energy and environment, science and technology and international peacekeeping.

No guns but only brotherhood can resolve the problems.

Our nuclear scientists and engineers have done a splendid job, and naturally, the entire nation has risen to salute their professional excellence, discipline, and patriotism. They have had the benefit of having been led in the past by great men like Homi Bhabha and Vikram Sarabhai

Our objective should be to firmly deal with terrorism and its sponsors, financiers, and arms suppliers. At the same time, our doors should always be open for processes which would restore peace, development, and progress to societies which have been devastated by terrorism over many generations.

Our words, actions, and diplomatic efforts should be aimed at trying to achieve pragmatic goals rather than creating rhetorical effect.

I dream of an India that is prosperous, strong and caring. An India, that regains a place of honor in the comity of great nations

I have never been a traitor. I am not an informer; I never betrayed my nation.

Empowering the individual means empowering the nation. And empowerment is best served through rapid economic growth with rapid social change.

If India is not secular, then India is not India at all.

You can change friends but not neighbors.

Victory and defeat are a part of life, which are to be viewed with equanimity.

Population needs to be stabilized for sustainable development.

Let no one challenge India’s secularism.

It requires an effort of logical acrobatics to believe that carnage of innocents is an instrument for freedom and elections are a symbol of deception and repression!

Indian democracy’s greatest strength is that we have always put the nation above politics.

For the Bharatiya Janata Party, Gandhian socialism is what we want to achieve and make society free of exploitation and full of opportunities.

We are unnecessarily wasting our precious resources in wars… if we must wage war, we have to do it on unemployment, disease, poverty, and backwardness.

India has never played politics with national security.

People want government to deliver – here and now.

My poet’s heart gives me strength to face political problems, particularly those which have a bearing on my conscience.

We used to fight with Pakistan with bombs. Now we are fighting with them on the playing ground.

For development, peace is essential.

I am contesting elections since 1952, but never did I throw mud.

We need to convert the extraordinary goodwill between India and Russia into a thriving, visible, vigorous, and mutually beneficial economic relationship.

Ours is a multi-religious country, a multi-lingual country; we have many different modes of worship. We believe in peaceful and harmonious co-existence.

We should always care for the minorities and be attentive towards their welfare.

We believe in resolving all disputes peacefully.

There can be no compromise regarding corruption.

Terrorism has become a festering wound. It is an enemy of humanity.

I believe the gun is no solution to problems.

As we talk with candour, we open the doors to new possibilities and new areas of cooperation in advance in democracy, in combating terrorism, in energy and environment, science and technology and international peacekeeping.

Population needs to be stabilised for sustainable development.

Poverty is multidimensional. It extends beyond money incomes to education, health care, political participation and advancement of one's own culture and social organisation.

The Bio-diversity Convention has not yielded any tangible benefits to the world's poor.

There was an implicit conviction that the UN would be stronger than the sum of its constituent member-states.

Declaring victory without war .. the belief that India gave up the option of war under American pressure is totally wrong.

In the euphoria after the Cold War, there was a misplaced notion that the UN could solve every problem anywhere.

The reality is that international institutions like the UN can only be as effective as its members allow it to be.

No state should be allowed to profess partnership with the global coalition against terror, while continuing to aid, abet and sponsor terrorism.

Global interdependence today means that economic disasters in developing countries could create a backlash on developed countries.

We do not believe that a nuclear war should be fought, and we do not believe that a nuclear war can be won.

We hope the world will act in the spirit of enlightened self-interest.

Let us together commence a journey of peace, harmony and progress in South Asia.

Our nuclear weapons are meant purely as a deterrent against nuclear adventure by an adversary.

If you do not like anything in a particular book, then sit and discuss it. Banning a book is not a solution. We have to tackle it ideologically.

Freedom is incomplete without social justice.

I have a vision of India-an India free of hunger and fear, an India free of illiteracy and want.

Our aim may be as high as the endless sky, but we should have a resolve in our minds to walk ahead, hand-in-hand, for victory will be ours.

I would like that no citizen of the state feels alone and helpless. The entire nation is with them.

India is not a piece of land but a living entity.

Truth can't be hidden for fear that somebody would exploit you.

No guns but only brotherhood can solve the problems.

You can change friends but not neighbours.

Quiet diplomacy is far more effective than public posturing.

It is easy to win elections by raising slogan of “garibi hatao” but slogans do not remove poverty.

I am able to see myself from the eyes of others, I am neither silent nor am I singing!

What is the age of death? Not even a couple of moments. Life is a progression, it’s not a matter of a day or two!

Free and fair elections have again demonstrated that Jammu and Kashmir is part of India, and the people want to remain with it.

Everything is at stake, there’s no option to stop now. We can break at this point, but we cannot bend now!

The cycle of being and not being will continue till eternity, So will our illusion, that we are, we will be.

Never let me climb so high, that I am unable to embrace another stranger, deliver me ever from such arrogance!

We want peace to be permanent.

Creative universities are bedrock of every developed nation's S&T strategy.

We used to fight with Pakistan with bombs. Now we are fighting with them on the playing ground.

No one can be considered untouchable on political grounds.

I am often accused of colluding with the British during the freedom struggle. I want to ask, how?

Labour reforms are not anti-worker.

If Advaniji did not want, I would never have been Prime Minister.

Our aim should be to make India a global R&D hub.

The regional parties have emerged as a strong force, and they, too, deserve a place in national politics.

Whatever understanding is reached with Pakistan has to be followed honestly, and everybody will have to rise above party politics and be actively committed to make India prosperous.

This power of democracy is a matter of pride for our country, something which we must always cherish, preserve and further strengthen.

We have given up office, but not our responsibility to serve the nation. We have lost an election, but not our determination.

Let me make one thing clear. I have never considered mere survival in power as any achievement, just as I have never seen coming to power as an achievement in itself.

The prime minister's office is not something that one enjoys.

People want government to deliver - here and now.

India has a legitimate right to becoming a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council.

My poet's heart gives me strength to face political problems, particularly those which have a bearing on my conscience.

For me, power was never an attraction.

My message to the people and rulers of Pakistan is, 'As neighbours, we want peace and friendship and cooperation with you so that together we can change the face of South Asia.'