When PM spoke 'from his heart'

By Anita Joshua

NEW DELHI, AUG. 17. He had come with a prepared text in hand to deliver what could well have been yet another routine speech. But, better reason from the fairer sex prevailed, and Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee showed that he had lost neither his oratory skills nor his sense of humour; only, they had yielded to the compulsions of the office of Prime Minister.

Sure enough, he had the audience practically eating out of his hand by the time he was through with his engagement with the National Forum for Women's Rights here this morning. Why, he even cut across party lines and found unbridled appreciation from some women members of the Opposition parties.

And, with good reason. For, here was the Vajpayee of yore; articulate, humorous, approachable despite the tight ring of security. That he was in a mood to humour was evident from the beginning itself when after a cursory look at the text he had brought along, Mr. Vajpayee set it aside to speak to the gathering ``from the heart''.

Later, signing off, Mr. Vajpayee confessed that he would have read out his English speech but for the organisers telling him that his English was not good. ``I was told that when I speak in English it is an assault on the language.''

This said, the Prime Minister then went on to narrate a ``theory'' that the British did not leave India because of the freedom struggle, but because they could not bear the way the Indians spoke English. Dismissing this ``theory'' as hearsay, he then went on to laud the Indian command over English.

True to his old self, Mr. Vajpayee also drove home these point while making these off-the-cuff remarks on English. Citing the success the Indians have had in the field of technology, he said: ``There should be no opposition to English. China now has to send people overseas to learn the language with the advent of computers.''

Having thus endeared himself to the women activists present, few grudged the fact that he did not offer any assurance whatsoever on their pending demands particularly the Women's Reservation Bill. All they got from him was lip service, but so well had he packaged the rhetoric that it seemed to suffice. At least, for one day.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : National
Previous : Madhya Pradesh Cong. unit to be dissolved
Next     : Centre for 'harmonious' relations with States