The One-Line Party President is definitely not a Side-Lined Party President

Sample his first one-liner after assuming the party presidency: ‘‘Ek haath mein Bhaajpa ka jhanda, doosare haath mein NDA ka agenda.’’

As Naidu went charging at the Congress, his multiple one-liners were: ‘‘We are united, they are divided. We are confident, they are diffident. We are clear, they are unclear. We have alliance because of conviction, they have alliance because of compulsion. We have vision, they have confusion. We are moving forward, they are moving backward and their condition would soon become awkward.’’

His swipe at the Congress high command was: ‘‘The Congress high command will soon become a low command and finally a no-command.’’

Some others include: ‘‘In Lok Sabha election, it is Vajpayee versus question mark.’’ ‘‘We have Mamata, Samata, DMK, PMK, MDMK, sometimes Anna DMK. Other side — question mark.’’

On Left-Congress ties: ‘‘Dilli mein dosti, kalkatta mein kushti. Kalkatta mein operation, Dilli mein co-operation aur baad mein separation.’’(friendship in Delhi, wrestling in Kolkata. Operation in Kolkata, Co-operation in Delhi, followed by separation)

On Janata Dal(S): ‘‘Yes in Delhi, no in Bangalore.’’

Advice to party workers: ‘‘Think progressively, speak aggressively, act ideologically. Dilli ka Parikrama chhod deejiye, netaon ka darshan chhod deejiye, janata janardan ka darshan keejiye.’’

(Don’t travel around in Delhi, looking at netas, go and mix with the public) On Muslims being given inadequate representation — ‘‘Jitna aata, utni roti’’(number of rots depends on the amount of atta) — implying as many tickets to Muslims as there are Muslims in the party. Then comes his advice to Muslims: ‘‘Najdeek aaiye, haath milaaiye aur Vajpayee ji ka haath majboot kijiye.’’ ‘‘Vipaksh hamare baare mein yehi prachar kiya — BJP aayega, mussalmaan ko khayega.’’

And a recent one: ‘‘Congress ka log Hemaji ke virudh rashtrapati ke paas gaya — Jana tha to unka pati ke paas jaate.’’(The Congress went to the President to protest against Hema Malini. If they wanted to protest, why did they not go her husband?) On Laxman Singh, brother of Digvijay Singh, joining BJP: ‘‘Laxman kab tak Ram ki party se door rahega.’’

(How long will Laxman stay away from Ram?) ‘‘Najma se pehle Naghma (actress)’’ — When asked if Najma Heptullah is joining BJP. (First Naghma, then Najma) Naidu, on being asked if he practised before he infused a one-liner in to a speech, told Express, ‘‘I’ve never practised anything. This (sense of alliteration) comes to me naturally and automatically.’’

A senior journalist told him at a CII conference, ‘‘I can not be crude, but I want to ask a crude question. Is their a succession plan in BJP because all we see is a projection of only Vajpayee?’’ Naidu responded by saying, ‘‘It is not a crude, but a shrewd question.’’ Another poser from a person in the gathering was: ‘‘How do you see yourself — reformers?’’ Pat came Naidu’s reply: ‘‘We are not only reformers, we are also performers.’’