NRIs fire Vajpayee’s election rehearsal

Talking of Gujarat, he said, ‘‘Jo hua tha woh accha nahin hua (what happened was not good)’’, and said passengers were first killed in the Godhra attack and what followed was ‘‘revenge’’. He then added, ‘‘Jo pehla jalaya tha, woh galat tha; jo baad mein jalaya woh aur galat tha, (the first attack was wrong, the retaliation was worse).’’ He went on to underline that there was no place for ‘‘an eye for an eye’’ in today’s world.

However, taking off from his poem that was set to tune and sung by a group of young girls on stage, Vajpayee said while he did not want war with Pakistan, India would not hesitate to give a befitting reply if war was thrust. He then spoke at length on how Pakistan’s generals were plotting Kargil even as he extended the hand of friendship, and how India made Pakistan vacate every bit of ‘‘our territory’’, something not achieved in any previous war with the neighbour.

And then with an eye on Assembly polls, as well as general elections next year, Vajpayee underlined the achievements of his government — record food stocks, a competitive environment, a resurgent economy, a pro-active foreign policy, and a stable government, despite being a coalition of more than 20 parties.

‘‘When foreign leaders ask me how many parties are there in the government, I say wait, let me start counting,’’ he said, drawing appreciative laughter in the packed Grand Ballroom of Shangri La Hotel.

But while praising India’s democracy, he reserved maximum praise for self. He said: ‘‘As an opposition leader, I never said anything that I should be ashamed of. And now that I am PM, there is no daag (stain) or kalank (blemish) on my record.’’

Unlike his previous public engagements on this trip where he has read out from prepared texts, Vajpayee was all confidence and wit today — almost as though it were a dress rehearsal for the gruelling election campaign that he will embark on after getting home.