"In Parliament, I had my fair share of arguments with Nehru ji." This Atal Bihari Vajpayee speech was a throwback to the times when Indian politics was far less acrimonious.
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00:00It is not that Nehru ji was not discriminated against, and discrimination used to arise in debates.
00:10I once told the Pandit ji that you have a mixed personality, and you have both Churchill and Chamberlain.
00:19Congress's friends may not believe it, but there used to be a picture of Nehru ji in the South Block.
00:30I used to see it while coming and going.
00:35There used to be a knock-joke with Nehru ji in the Sadan.
00:41I was new, I used to sit in the back.
00:44Sometimes I had to walk out to speak.
00:49But slowly, slowly, I made space, I moved forward.
00:55And when I became a foreign minister, one day I saw a picture of Nehru ji hanging in the alley.
01:02I said, where did this picture go?
01:07There was no response.
01:09That picture was put up again.
01:13Is there a value for this sentiment?
01:19Is there a value for this sentiment?
01:24It is not that Nehru ji was not discriminated against, and discrimination used to arise in debates.
01:32I said to the priest once that you have a mixed personality and you have Churchill and Chamberlain as well.
01:42He didn't get angry.
01:45In the evening we met at a banquet and he said,
01:49today you have given a very powerful speech.
01:51And he left with a smile.
01:54Don't criticize like this nowadays.
01:57You are inviting enmity.
02:02People will stop talking.
02:06Can't we work together as a nation?
02:12Can't we all face the upcoming crises as a nation?
02:18One century is coming to an end and the second century is standing at the door.
02:26If you want to leave us and try something new,
02:30I have no objection.
02:33But let us succeed in what we are trying to do.
02:37This is what I want to request you.
02:40When our neighbour decided to raise the issue of Kashmir in the meeting of human rights in Geneva,
02:51the Prime Minister of that time, Narasimha Rao,
02:58looked at me and said,
03:00I will go there and represent India.
03:05The people of our neighbouring country were very surprised.
03:11The leaders there were also surprised.
03:14One of the leaders said,
03:18India's democracy is a strange democracy,
03:23that a representative leader goes to Geneva to support his government.
03:30And our representative leader,
03:33who creates difficulties within the country,
03:40creates international barriers.
03:45People said, Narasimha Rao is not a simple man, he is a very clever man.
03:51Don't think that he is only sending people to show the unity of the country.
03:57In some places, it may also happen in their minds,
04:01that if things don't work out in Geneva,
04:04and a proposal is passed against it,
04:07then to make up for the mistakes,
04:09a sacrifice can be made.
04:14I don't believe this.