Q: When Vajpayee was in Parliament with Nehru, how was this rivalry showcased?
I write that when Vajpayee spoke for the first time in Parliament on 15 May 1957, he did not waste a second in attacking Nehru. He was sitting in front of him and you know, he immediately declared that his foreign policy was confused.
That’s how this started. And it was very bitter. And in turn, Nehru was stung and shot back, “he has no manners, he is giving an election speech,” something like that. Nehru was very precise with the time – he spoke only three sentences on him, and then he moved on to somebody else. He even ensured that Vajpayee did not get a permit to go to Kashmir for a while, something that the latter had been doing in order to give rousing speeches to the Hindus in the region.
Q: When did the ice begin to thaw?
A: With time, with a more personal acquaintance, their relationship evolved. They began to warm up to each other, and Nehru also began to think differently of Vajpayee. He began…