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The Times of India

Lifestyle

PTI

'Meet Kalam': Former PM Narsimha Rao's parting message to successor Vajpayee

APJ Abdul Kalam Atal Bihari Vajpayee Narasimha Rao P V Narasimha Rao Defence Research and Development Organisation India Pokhran

As former prime minister P V Narasimha Rao left office in 1996, he handed over a slip to his successor Atal Bihari Vajpayee which read, "Kalam se miliye (meet Kalam)". The new prime minister did not know who Kalam was. After he found out, the then chief scientific advisor and secretary, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) APJ Abdul Kalam was called for a meeting, which would pave the way for Pokhran II nuclear tests in 1998, according to author Arun Shourie, a former minister in the Vajpayee-led government.

Shourie shared this interesting anecdote on the concluding day of the Times LitFest here on Sunday.

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