Tryst with PM puts him on track to fame

‘‘What transpired is between the Prime Minister and me, I won’t part with any information,’’ he announced at first, yet to come to grips with the attention suddenly being showered on him.

But the barrage of calls from people who saw his meeting with the Prime Minister soon had the 55-year-old office-bearer of the All-India Station Master Association (AISMA) softening.

‘‘He asked me why the fire tenders had arrived so late at the station. I replied that it was not in my jurisdiction and I would not be able to answer,’’ Katiya revealed.

This wasn’t Katiya’s first meeting with Vajpayee though it was the first after he became Prime Minister. He had first met Vajpayee when the latter was president of AISMA. Vajpayee held the post for 13 years. At that meeting, they had talked of the demand for running allowance for station masters. The issue that they took up today was different.

‘‘It was the happiest day in my life,’’ Katiya said in response to a question on how he felt when he talked to Vajpayee today. He then gave some money to a peon wanting to go home after a hard day. The Prime Minister’s visit had kept everybody on their toes. The moment Vajpayee and other railway officials were gone, the railway staff heaved a sigh of relief.

Katiya has already met VIPs like Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Defence Minister George Fernandes and Home Minister L.K. Advani at the Godhra railway station but Thursday was very special for him. This probably made him philosophical too: ‘‘It’s all in the Almighty’s hands. He generates, operates and destroys.’’