Vajpayee turns 88 amid health concerns

Former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, who turns 88 on Christmas Day, remains one of India’s most popular and charismatic political leaders whose name continues to be invoked by party campaigners.But his health remains a cause of concern and those in the know say he is often confined to a wheelchair and fails to recognise people.No one, not even leaders of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is willing to talk publicly about Vajpayee’s health. But those who have access to him are unanimous that he is seriously unwell. The assessments, however, vary.A relative said that doctors are against too many people calling on him at his 6-A, Krishna Menon Matg residence.Informed sources said only close relatives and senior party leaders are permitted to call on him and that too only occasionally.One of the founder leaders of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the BJP’s predecessor, Vajpayee was prime minister for 13 days in 1996, then for 13 months from March 1998 onwards and presided over the country for a third time from October 1999 to May 2004, when the Congress ousted the BJP.