Vajpayee draws line between diatribe, debate

Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee would have made a bigger splash had he basked in the glory of the Indian cricket team8217;s win in Pakistan to...

Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee would have made a bigger splash had he basked in the glory of the Indian cricket team8217;s win in Pakistan today. For his audience in rural Maharashtra certainly knew the language of cricket, if not the economic jargon he used to describe India8217;s phenomenal growth.

But the tribals of this region, who turned up in large numbers to listen to the PM 8212; the first one ever to visit them 8212; did not return home unhappy, for his speech did eventually strike a chord with them.

Vajpayee, who was here campaigning for sitting BJP MP Chintaman Wanga, spoke at length on the issue of Sonia Gandhi8217;s foreign origin. 8216;8216;Whether a foreigner can occupy a high office in the country is a matter of debate which should take place in a calm and composed atmosphere,8217;8217; he told the gathering. He did not, however, name the Congress chief.

Mocking the Congress-NCP unity, Vajpayee evoked a thunderous response when he said: 8216;8216;I don8217;t understand why they Sonia Gandhi and Sharad Pawar have chosen April Fools8217; Day to go together to Solapur.8217;8217;

The speech was punctuated by some well-rehearsed lines in Marathi, which produced the desired effect. 8216;8216;Voting cha divshi ghari basu naka Don8217;t stay indoors on polling day,8217;8217; he said.

But some refused to be swayed by the rhetoric. Suresh Thorat, a tribal from Dahanu, said: 8216;8216;I came here to hear Vajpayee comment about the development of our region, his plans for us, and also about our cricket team8217;s victory in Pakistan.8217;8217;

The PM didn8217;t disappoint him. If not cricket, his speech went on to lack of development in the region 8212; he promised the constituency, 140 kms from Mumbai, a substantial package.

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8216;8216;It8217;s a difficult task to help the tribal areas and to preserve their identity as well,8217;8217; he added. Vajpayee hinted at fulfilling the long-pending demand for a Dahanu-Nashik railway line, promised to set aside funds for this purpose.