Lacklustre Atal sends a shiver down BJP spine

And not stopping at that, Vajpayee said: ‘‘We are fighting on all seats, not to form a government, but only to make the government function properly…The Congress-led Government at the Centre runs on Sonia’s directions. It should at least be hinted as to who would run it if Congress comes to power in Haryana.’’

Within minutes, people started to make their way out of the ground. ‘‘Jab Vajpayee ne haar maan hi lee hai, toh ab yahan baith ke kya fayda (What’s the use of sitting here when Vajpayee has accepted defeat),’’ asked a dejected BJP worker.

As Vajpayee trained his guns on the Congress-led UPA government, he avoided making any direct comment on Om Prakash Chautala’s INLD. The closest he came to criticizing the state government was when he said, ‘‘Haryana ki sarkar, Centre ki Congress sarkar ke saath katghare mein khadi hai.’’

A 1000-strong gathering at Gaushala Maidan here had come to hear vintage Vajpayee. As Vajpayee kept on repeating himself on issues like ‘‘the BJP fighting Haryana elections on its own’’ and ‘‘the rising prices of cooking gas and sugar’’, the remaining crowd started to make its way out.