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Old video of Vajpayee acknowledging Rajiv Gandhi help shared by Jairam Ramesh
On Rajiv Gandhi's birth anniversary, Congress leaders - across the country - paid him rich tributes and remembered him.
An old video of Atal Bihari Vajpayee was shared on Saturday by the Congress’s Jairam Ramesh where he can be seen talking about the help he received from Rajiv Gandhi for a medical treatment. The nearly one-minute long clip was shared as leaders across the country remembered Rajiv Gandhi on his birth anniversary.
In the video, BJP patriarch Vajpayee is heard saying: “I developed a kidney ailment. Doctors advised me to go to the United States for further treatment. It became difficult for me to make financial arrangements.” Jairam Ramesh gave senior journalist Karan Thapar the credit for the clip.
“Somehow, Rajiv ji came to know about that. He called me. He decided to include me in the delegation to the United Nations. I became a full-fledged member. All expenses were paid by the government. I came back fully recovered,” Vajpayee, the former prime minister of India, shares in the clip.
In his tweet, the Congress leader said the clip was from 1991. “Vajpayee ji here is narrating how Rajiv ji’s kindheartedness helped save his life. Rajiv ji was not just an extraordinary prime minister but he was a sensitive and civilised person,” reads Jairam Ramesh’s tweet, roughly translated from Hindi.
Rajiv Gandhi who became the country's PM at 40 years of age was said to be the country's youngest prime minister. Apart from politics, flying was among his passions.
AB Vajpayee was one of the co-founders of the BJP; he was also involved in the Quit India movement. He served as India’s PM thrice - for 13 days in 1996, 13 months in 1998 and then for a full term in 1999.
