Mamata calls on PM

By Mahesh Vijapurkar

MUMBAI, OCT. 19. The Union Railway Minister, Ms. Mamata Banerjee, today called on the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, at the Breach Candy hospital but did not raise the issue of petroleum prices' rollback. All that was touched upon during the half-hour meeting was the West Bengal flood situation.

That he showed ``concern for what was happening in West Bengal'' made Ms. Banerjee glow. ``I felt good,'' she said later.

Ms. Banerjee found the Prime Minister, who had walked some 15-20 minutes, ``cheerful and bright'' and if she did not discuss the rollback issue, it was because ``it was not the occasion.'' She later left for New Delhi, as did the Union Home Minister, Mr. L. K. Advani.

It was quite a hectic day compared to the past eleven days for Mr. Vajpayee, with several Ministerial colleagues calling on him at the hospital.

Among those who called on him today was the Union

Communications Minister, Mr. Ram Vilas Paswan, and he touched upon the Bihar killings when Mr. Vajpayee asked him about it. If his intent of starting a new party was raised at all, it was not made public. Mr. Manohar Joshi, Mr. Murli Manohar Joshi and the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, Mr. K. C. Pant, were the other callers.

The hospital nurses, in a farewell song, wished Mr. Vajpayee well and prayed ``may all your troubles be small ones'' and ``may you walk with sunlight shining.'' A moved Mr. Vajpayee invited them all to New Delhi. The 18-line song was rendered by 27 nurses on behalf of the 300 nurses of the hospital.

UNI reports:

The non-resident Indian doctor, Dr. Chittaranjan Ranawat, who performed the knee surgery on Mr. Vajpayee, said today that he had not charged any fee for his services. Talking to a private T.V. channel, Dr. Ranawat said he had also not charged money for the knee operation conducted on the Attorney General, Mr. Soli Sorabjee, at the same hospital.

``This is my little contribution to the country as both personalities are leading public servants,'' he said.

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