Bharatiya Janata Party

He earned a reputation of being a ‘smuggler’s lawyer’ after he defended Haji Mastan, in a smuggling case.

Vajpayee, one of the shrewdest politicians of India, is known for negotiating multiple paradoxes—from militant nationalism to his secret family life, his stint as a communist, his indulgence in food, and his attempt to project himself as a moderate, if not a liberal.