TNI Bureau: India’s first National Security Advisor Mr. Brajesh Mishra passed away in New Delhi on September 28, 2012. He piloted India’s multi-pronged foreign policy during NDA government and became a troubleshooter of prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Mishra was born on September 29, 1928. His father, late Dwarka Prasad Mishra was a former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh and considered as a close associate to Indira Gandhi.
He joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1951. He served in various positions, including as Ambassador to Indonesia and India’s Permanent Representative at the United Nations from June 1979 to April 1981.
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From Pokhran-2 to Kashmir issue, from Kandahar hijacking to the Kargil conflict, and from Vajpayee’s historic visit to Pakistan to engaging the United States in a strategic dialogue, Mishra played pivotal role on series of India’s foreign policies and security maneuvers. He was the key motivator of foreign policy and principal spokesperson on all major issues during Vajpayee Government.
While Mishra piloted this multi-pronged policy, building new relations for India with powers like the US and China, he worked hard to keep old ally Russia reassured that closer engagement with others did not automatically mean estrangement with Moscow.
In his short span of six years as NSA, he was also able to guide Indian foreign policy from the weak economy to India’s high growth rates during the 1998-2002, which made the country too attractive a market for the FDIS and FIIs. For which, the Manmohan Singh Government rightly acknowledged his contribution, especially to the Indo-US nuclear deal, by bestowing him with the prestigious Padma Vibhushan award in 2011.