Know Jaswant Singh - 'Man Friday' of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Jaswant Singh was considered to be the “Man Friday” of Vajpayee. Apart from advising Vajpayee on crucial foreign, defence and finance related matters, Jaswant Singh was also his chief political trouble-shooter.

Jaswant Singh is remembered for frequently flying to Poes garden residence of Jaylalithaa for ironing out differences and listening to her demands. He was the unofficial political coordinator of NDA.

It was Jaswant Singh who had initiated Indo-US strategic dialogue with Strobe Talbott, the then deputy secretary of state of US.

Jaswant Singh held a number of meetings with Strobe Talbot and broke the ice that had freezed Indo-US relationship in the aftermath of India's nuclear tests in May 1998.

Jaswant-Strobe dialogue paved the wave for India and US to understand each other's concern better. And it resulted in India and US forging strategic partnership forgetting the acrimonies of the past.

Jaswant Singh was conferred the Outstanding Parliamentarian Award for the year 2001.