In April 1991, Mishra joined the Bharatiya Janata Party and became head of its foreign policy cell.[14] He resigned from the party in March 1998 on becoming the 9th Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of India. After Brajesh Mishra, the post of principal secretary became such a powerful one that it eclipsed the status of cabinet ministers. As Vajpayee's troubleshooter, he was one of the most powerful principal secretaries the PMO had ever seen.[15]
From November 1998 to 23 May 2004, he was also the first National Security Advisor and was instrumental in creating an institutional structure for national security management.[16] His batch as an Indian Foreign Service officer was the same as the Indian Administrative Service batch of K. Subrahmanyam, widely considered as the doyen of India's strategic affairs community, and made him the first convener of the National Security Advisory Board where they worked closely on many issues.[17]
He was the key motivator of foreign policy and principal spokesman on all major issues. And the opportunities for him were endless. From Pokhran-2 to Kashmir, and from Vajpayee's historic visit to Pakistan to engaging the United States in a strategic dialogue, he was behind a never-ending series of foreign policy and security maneuver.
He is stated to have played a major role in pushing and supporting the Bhutan to undertake Operation All Clear.
Final years and death
The President, Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil presenting the Padma Vibhushan award to Shri Brajesh Chandra Mishra, at an Investiture Ceremony, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on March 24, 2011
After demitting office, Mishra had initially expressed reservations against the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal. Following this, the then prime minister, Manmohan Singh briefed specially to address his concerns about the deal. However, support to nuclear deal was Mishra's last tribute to Vajpayee.[18] Thereafter, Mishra extended his support and publicly endorsed the deal. This position of his was at variance with the Bharatiya Janata Party's, the party to which he once belonged to and in whose government he had been the National Security Advisor of the country, which was opposed to the deal.
^"The Name Is Mishra, Brajesh Mishra". www.outlookindia.com. 4 September 2000. Archived from the original on 14 October 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2010.
^"Brajesh Mishra is still listening in". Rediff.com. Retrieved 14 August 2010.
^"Scrap national security adviser's post: Brajesh Mishra – India – DNA". Dnaindia.com. 20 January 2010. Retrieved 14 August 2010.
^"Devil's Advocate: Brajesh Mishra on Atal vs Advani – Politics News – IBNLive". Ibnlive.in.com. 3 February 2010. Archived from the original on 30 August 2009. Retrieved 14 August 2010.
^"Padma Vibhushan for Brajesh Mishra; Padma Bhushan for Surendra Singh". ORF. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
^Bagchi, Indrani (25 January 2011). "Former national security adviser Brajesh Mishra awarded the Padma Vibhushan. Former foreign secretary and PM's special envoy on the nuclear deal, Shyam Saran awarded Padma Bhushan. - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
^Joshi, Manoj (28 September 2012). "Brajesh Mishra, former National Security Advisor, passes away". India Today. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
^"DKPA : Stamp Calendar - Stamps Issued by India in August 2001". 27 October 2009. Archived from the original on 27 October 2009. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
^"Former Foreign Minister Natwar Singh pays tribute to Brajesh Mishra". India Today. 30 September 2012. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
^"Permanent Representatives of India to the United Nations" (PDF). un.intl/india. Retrieved 21 August 2013.[permanent dead link]
^"UN Debate". The Age (Australia). 14 January 1980. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
^Dikshit, Sandeep (30 September 2012). "Brajesh Mishra, strategic czar of Vajpayee era, passes away". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
^Srinivasan, T P. "Brajesh Mishra: Steely determination and a kind heart". Retrieved 1 October 2012.
^Malhotra, Jyoti (29 September 2012). "Brajesh Mishra combined guile with generosity as India's first NSA". Business Standard. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
^"Brajesh Mishra: India's first NSA, Vajpayee's troubleshooter". Hindustan Times. 29 September 2012. Archived from the original on 9 December 2012. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
^Gupta, Arvind. "Brajesh Mishra's Legacy to National Security and Diplomacy". Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
^Mishra, Brajesh. "Annual Krishnaswamy Memorial Lecture" (PDF). Global India Foundation. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
^"Mishra's last tribute to Atal - Support to nuclear deal to preserve mentor's legacy". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 6 October 2012. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
^"Brajesh Mishra, Azim Premji, Montek in list of 128 Padma awardees". The Times of India. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
^"India's first National Security Advisor Brajesh Mishra passes away". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 9 December 2012. Retrieved 29 September 2012.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Brajesh Mishra.
Articles at Outlook India on Brajesh Mishra
Brajesh Mishra's Interview with Rediff.com
Brajesh Mishra (1928–2012) – An Assessment by B Raman, Additional Secretary (retd), Cabinet Secretariat, Govt. of India