Vajpayee: Vote most precious weapon of poor

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Monday made a fervent appeal to voters to exercise their franchise at all costs.

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Monday made a fervent appeal to voters to exercise their franchise at all costs.

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Addressing a rally in the blistering sun at Khajuraho on Monday, the PM urged voters to postpone all other work and vote. He also asked 'baratis' to leave the groom alone and vote before attending their weddings.

To the womenfolk, he said they should cook early and go to the polling booth after handing over keys to the men. "Do not sit at home. Better late than never," he said.

He said a vote was the most precious weapon of the poor. It’s a double-edged weapon, which can be used to form a good government or pull it down.

Vajpayee also attacked Congress president Sonia Gandhi on corruption issues, saying she had no moral right to accuse the BJP. Vajpayee asked Sonia not to accuse the BJP of being a corrupt party. He said Telgi, prime accused in the stamp scam, was a Congressman. "Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones at the houses of others," he said.

However, the stress appeared to be showing on the PM. After a slip-up at a Rajasthan rally a few days back, Vajpayee again stumbled on facts on Monday. He said the Digvijay Singh government had ruled for eight years. Singh actually ruled for 10 years.

However, he immediately corrected himself after being prompted by leaders on the dais. Later, he forgot that China was the most populated country in the world. He said India had a population of 100 crore and no other nation was as populated as India.

Again, while reciting a Sanskrit couplet, he forgot words of the second line. He failed to recite correctly despite being prompted by the Khajuraho BJP candidate Ramkrishna Kusmaria and MP CM Uma Bharti.

He also did not remember the date when Khajuraho would go to the polls.