Atal Bihari Vajpayee is considered one of the finest statesmen and orators produced by India, and also one of its best prime ministers, so it isn’t altogether surprising that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has finally decided to use his speeches to emphasize the message of good governance and development.

The move marks a significant departure for the party whose campaign thus far has had a singular focus—its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.

Video clippings of Vajpayee’s speeches have been collected in CDs, branded Atalji ko suno, Bhajapa ko samjho (Listen to Atal to understand BJP). They feature three to 15-minute clips of the former prime minister speaking on issues such as the anti-corruption ombudsman Lokpal, Pakistan, family planning, economic policies, Kashmir and China.

Vajpayee was the first (and thus far has been the only) prime minister of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government. Under him the party won 182 seats in the 1998 and 1999 general elections, its highest tally ever. Opinion polls suggest the party may cross that number in the ongoing general election.

The speeches have been compiled by Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini (RMP), a Mumbai based think-tank supportive of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), an ideological affiliate of the Hindu nationalist BJP.

“Atal Bihari Vajpayee may not be campaigning due to illness but the former prime minister is known for his oratorial skills, witty comments and deep analysis. His views are still the BJP’s views," said Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, a BJP politician.

The speeches have been collected under the Samagra Atalji project that was was initiated to compile speeches, letters and writings (including poems) of Vajpayee in digital format, he said.

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