Yatra-I ends with Ram-Lakshman show

The BJP might not agree but the temple was, indeed, far from the picture painted by the duo at the end of the first leg of Advani’s yatra. Declaring that the ‘‘war scenario will not re-emerge’’, Vajpayee spoke of peace, everlasting friendship and neighbours as trading partners. Once again, Advani compared Vajpayee to Nehru but the PM pulled off show in the border district, talking of normalisation of relations with Pakistan.

‘‘Where we were earlier throwing bombs, we are now playing cricket,’’ the PM said.

The Pakistan Government also got a pat in the passing. ‘‘Pados mein bhi parivartan aa raha hai (there is change in the neighbourhood too). Earlier, it was one country that tried to play the match. But I ask, how much will we spend on arms…what has Pakistan got in the wars that it waged? It lost Bangladesh,’’ the PM said.

Advani added the local spin on the Government’s achievements. ‘‘When we say India Shining, it doesn’t mean it has stopped shining…India has begun to shine, and will continue doing so.’’

Slamming the Opposition for patching up last-minute alliances for power, the PM said: ‘‘Opposition parties are in a mad rush. Some of the leaders are even running barefoot so that they don’t miss the chance and are not delayed…We were with the Akali Dal earlier and we are still with them. This (unity) is not for the sake of power. We have forged an alliance against the Congress and it has grown from strength to strength.’’ Advani had a compliment for the Akali Dal too. ‘‘It’s an ideal friendship, which has very few equals in politics,’’ he said.

For Badal, it was time to air both confidence and apprehension. He said the combine would win 13 seats in Punjab but also warned that Congress would stoop to rigging ‘‘as in Bihar’’. ‘‘Please call a meeting of all IPS officers and tell them that their duty is to defend the Constitution and not political parties,’’ he said.