Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister of India, briefly in 1996, and from 19 March 1998 until 22 May 2004. He retired from active politics in December 2005, but still comments on and participates in national debates of policy, welfare and defence.

He is a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party and Indian politics in general. He has served as a member of the Parliament of India for nearly 50 years. He is also a poet, writing in his native language, Hindi.