Atal Behari Vajpayee began his political life as an activist of the RSS, the hardline Hindu nationalist movement, and later made his mark as a leader of the "Jan Sangh", the broad political forum of the RSS and similar parties. A fiery orator, who still at this age is capable of keeping the audience somewhat spell-bound, Vajpayee tasted power as the external affairs minister in the Janata Party government that came following Indira Gandhi's controversial Emergency rule. Jan Sangh was merged into the new party along with some other organisations but the government could not complete its term despite a resounding victory against Congress in the polls because of internal squabbles. However, Vajpayee was credited with success as the foreign minister and it was during that Janata Party rule that New Delhi's ties with small neighbours were better and he initiated normalisation of relationship with China, strained for long after the 1962 border clash.

As the Janata Party collapsed, the former Jan Sangh men formed the new party -- Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) -- on a communal overtone. This BJP with only two seats in the lower house of parliament (Loksabha) gained a meteoric rise in Indian politics over the last two decades riding mainly on communal sentiments and it is now the biggest party in the parliament, albeit it did not command enough majority to form a government by itself. It needed the support of several parties -- mostly regional for coming to power. Vajpayee was prime minister in the first stint for only twelve days as the BJP failed to prove majority in the house while his second term as the premier was cut short halfway mainly because of withdrawal of support by Jayaram Jayalalitha's AIDMK party from NDA.

The present NDA government, no doubt, has so far a good innings politically since it faced no major threat to its existence either from the opposition or owing to internal problems. Indeed, it is a big success since the government has more than twenty parties and not that all have similar policies on vital matters. True, leaders like Ram Bilas Paswan of Bihar quit ministerial post on the issue of communalism but this did not affect the government much. Mamta Banerjee of the "Trinamul Congress" of West Bengal parted ways with the government but not with the NDA as she later returned to the fold realising that it remains best option for her. Mamta's return has been a shot in the arms for Vajpayee, who can afford not wooing the leaders of the NDA all the time. Defence minister George Fernandes, a close associate of Vajpayee and known as a trouble shooter for the prime minister, himself was embroiled in the "Tehelka dot.com" scandal forcing him to quit as minister, but staged a comeback a few months later. All these augured well finally for the NDA. The economy is reasonably stable and India was seen as better placed diplomatically following the Afghanistan developments, and ties with some countries including China moved a step forward. As such, Vajpayee has reasons to look back with satisfaction.

But there are several thorns as well in the bed of roses. Main opposition Congress won most of the state assembly elections wresting positions from the BJP, which also lost power a few months ago in largest Uttar Pradesh state, where it had formed the government and later supported BSP in power. Now Mulayam Singh Yadav of SP, who firmly believes in the secular politics, is the chief minister there. Italian-born Congress president Sonia Gandhi is increasingly asserting herself raising prospects of better result in next polls. The centre and left parties are clamouring against the BJP for its "communal" approach on many matters. The recent visit of Israeli prime minister to India was disliked by the Muslims and criticised by most opposition parties. Vajpayee, seen as a liberal in the BJP in contrast to deputy premier L. K. Advani, often comes at loggerheads with militant Hindu zealots like the Shiv Sena and the VHP but himself also seeks to placate them occasionally. Understandably, he cannot afford to distance himself from them who form the power base of the BJP.

Vajpayee's communal statements have not helped his image. Many hardliner prefer Advani to him but Vajpayee has the charishma which Advani lacks largely. The prime minister could not demonstrate much sagacity in containing violence in Kashmir region nor there has been progress in settling tensions with arch-rival Pakistan, which, however, is a complex task. Indo-Pakistan cricket matches could not be resumed mainly because of New Delhi's intransigence even though most Indians and Pakistanis want to keep sports out of politics. Cricket is a passion in South Asia. However, Vajpayee's willingness to attend the next SAARC summit in Islamabad despite unsatisfactory ties with Pakistan is commendable. The summit has already been delayed. The prime minister is not in the best of his health after a knee surgery. But the BJP and the NDA say there is no reason for concern for his health.

Many analysts feel that he has an undercurrent of tensions and rivalry with Advani, which was denied by both but many believe the rivalry exists. Several partners in the NDA differ with the major party BJP on the communal issues since the BJP is often seen as siding with communal militants on the Ayodhya Ram Temple issue. The prime minister's difficulties include keeping the alliance intact. But Atal Behari Vajpayee seems firm in the saddle even though he has many odds. He appears well placed to complete full term as the premier and also swing into next electioneering despite being handicapped by physical problems. However, he is set to face a more determined opposition when national polls are held.

Zaglul Ahmed Chowdhury is Senior journalist..