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Witty Vajpayee charms Dehradun audience

Sheela Bhatt in Dehradun

It was vintage Vajpayee all the way.

Embellishing his speech with dollops of humour and sharp wit, the prime minister had the audience in Dehradun eating out of his hands on Thursday afternoon.

None were spared and no quarters given, as Vajpayee in his inimitable style took Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's claims on Kashmir by the scruff of its neck, slammed the Congress party for questioning the coffins deal and dished out stories of his Lahore bus diplomacy.

Dismissing the allegation of the Congress party that India has been isolated internationally, Vajpayee in crisp Hindi said, "I can vouch that India has never earned so much respect before."

He asked the audience, "Do you remember the days when China attacked India? Who stood behind us? None. Later, in Bangladesh, though our decision (to send troops into then East Pakistan) was correct, the world didn't support us. Just few days back even on the issue of terrorism we didn't get support."

"But today, the whole world is telling Pakistan to stop its terrorist activities and asking them to talk to India. But I am asking my Pakistani friends, 'what do you want to talk with us?'" Vajpayee said.

Talking about his Lahore bus diplomacy with more than a touch of self-deprecation, he said, "I had gone to Lahore to talk to them. But even as I was riding the bus, talking to them... they were indulging in an act of treachery. Who will trust them now?"

Continuing in the same vein, Vajpayee then took to task former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharief and present Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf.

"I don't know whether Musharraf (then just chief of Pakistan Army) kept his prime minister in the dark or Sharief himself chose to be kept in the dark, but when he (Sharief) was talking of friendship with us, the preparations for war was on in Pakistan. In a crooked manner they took hold of our mountains," Vajpayee said.

He thanked the Indian soldiers for throwing out the Pakistani intruders from Kargil, and said that for the first time India was able to snatch back land that Pakistan had occupied.

"It had never happened before. (Bill) Clinton was the president of US and he called (then Pakistan prime minister Nawaz) Sharief to America. Clinton saheb told him to vacate the land in Kargil. He (Sharief) told Clinton, 'It's difficult for me to immediately vacate the land. Give me time'. Clinton then called me up and said, 'He (Sharief) is ready to retreat but not completely. Now, you concede and allow them to stay partially'. I said, 'No. We won't agree because they are the attackers. They have encroached upon our land and they will have to vacate every inch they have grabbed'."

To thunderous applause, Vajpayee then said that Pakistan was forced vacated our land in Kargil.

Sounding a note of caution, Vajpayee said that Kargil taught him not to 'trust anybody'.

Vajpayee also injected humour in his narration of what happened at the Agra summit, throwing the audience into splits.

"We called him (Musharraf) to Agra. On the banks of river Yamuna, under the shadow of Taj Mahal, we thought that his heart would overflow with love. But he kept chanting Kashmir. I said 'Let's talk business. We have more grains; we can give it you at a cheaper price. Please take it from us'. But Musharraf said, 'No, we won't buy grains from you'. I said, 'Buy our sugar, which is sweeter and cheaper for you'. Musharraf said, 'No. We will not keep any relation with you, till we are not given Kashmir'."

Again to a deafening applause Vajpayee then said, "I told him (Musharraf) that you are not getting Kashmir anyway. You better understand that."

Moving back in time, Vajpayee recounted his efforts in trying to persuade then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to not hand over Prisoners of War captured during the 1971 war with Pakistan.

"In 1972, I had requested Indira Gandhi to not give back PoWs and Pakistan's land till they vacate the whole of Kashmir. I had gone to Shimla. But that did not happen and the Kashmir issue was left unresolved, which Musharraf is now raking up. That was a wrong decision. After all why should Kashmir go to Pakistan? Pakistan occupies one-third of Kashmir, and they don't hold elections like we do. On top of it, Musharraf is giving lectures in the (Pakistan-occupied) assembly, which is not even elected. Our country is different. We have a democracy. Every vote has a same value. In our country prime ministers change. If that was not the case, tell me how could I become prime minister? I waited for 40 long years!" Vajpayee said to uproarious laughter.

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