Sari deaths pale before red carpet

But all that was a distant memory today as Vajpayee feasted on delicacies prepared at Tandon’s house and delivered to him at the VVIP guest house where he spent the day. After that and choicest sweets from the main mithai shops of old Lucknow, Vajpayee enjoyed an afternoon siesta.

Much to the discomfort of the assembled entourage, this lasted three hours, even as they were told to leave Vajpayee alone. The only ones who were allowed to stay back to keep Vajpayee company were his old friend Shiv Kumar, apart from Tandon, his two sons and their personal secretaries. Other senior leaders like Kalyan Singh and Kalraj Mishra got no more than a 15-minute audience.

Even for ordinary party workers, Vajpayee barely had time. He finally emerged from the guest house but restricted his meeting with them to a brief, 15-minute address at Nirala Nagar Shishu Mandir. The dinner was planned for later in the day at Vajpayee’s official Mall Avenue residence.

Party general secretary and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Rajnath Singh was conspicuous by his absence, though his supporters claimed their leader was too busy in Chhattisgarh to find time.

Many others openly expressed their disappointment at Vajpayee’s preference for the personal over party on his first trip to Lucknow as an MP and not the PM since 1998. ‘‘The BJP workers have got the message that whenever Vajpayeeji is in town, it will always be Tandon and his associates around him, while grass-root workers will have no access,’’ said a dejected BJP leader.

At the Shishu Mandir meeting, Vajpayee exhorted party workers to rise and restore the party’s political glory in the state. ‘‘Bury the past and move ahead,’’ Vajpayee told the workers.

Many would have liked to echo the message back to their leader.