'At home' everywhere

By Alok Mukherjee

MAURITIUS, MARCH 12. How many `homes' has the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, got? Probably none in his own name. That may be the reason he calls every second place he visits his ``own home''.

Mr. Vajpayee in a speech at the University of Mauritius on Saturday, said ``to be in Mauritius, for me, is like being at my own home. Indeed, given my hectic schedule in India, I sometimes feel more at home in the serene surroundings of your beautiful country.''

No quarrel with that. But this is precisely what he said during a visit to Himachal Pradesh in December last. In the Kullu Valley for the foundation stone-laying ceremony of the Parbati power project, Mr. Vajpayee said whenever he visited the State, he felt ``at home.'' ``It is like a homecoming for me,'' he added. Probably the bard in the Prime Minister is swayed by serene surroundings, be it the hills of Himachal or the sea around Mauritius.

In fact, Mr. Vajpayee seems to be enjoying a quiet vacation here. The first day was slightly hectic, not because of a heavy schedule, but due to the long flight from New Delhi. Thereafter, it was a brief bilateral discussion with the Prime Minister of Mauritius, Mr. Navinchandra Ramgoolam, and an official banquet which ended rather early.

The second day was a bit like a pilgrimage. A visit to the ``samadhi'' of the Father of Mauritius, late Sir Seewoosagar Ramgoolam, a visit to the Apravasi Ghat where the first Indian migrants had landed in the last century, acceptance of award of Doctorate ``honoris causa'' by the University of Mauritius and a quiet lunch with the President, Mr. Cassem Utcem. His evening programme included courtesy calls by ``bigwigs'' of Mauritius, to be followed by the inauguration of the Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre and enjoying a cultural programme thereafter.

In fact, there is some curiosity about the visit of Mr. Vajpayee to this country at this juncture. The Indian Parliament has been seeing tumultuous times since the opening of the budget session. The NDA Government collapsed in Bihar within seven days, the allies are pressing for a roll-back on some budget proposals and the Opposition is assuming threatening postures every day. More than all this, the much-hyped Clinton visit is to take place within a week. Is it the right time for the Prime Minister to be away?

The informal talk here provides a possible clue to the timing of the Prime Ministerial visit. Mauritius is to go to the polls this year, and if local talk is to be taken seriously, the Indian Prime Minister plays a serious role in it. ``The Indian Prime Minister having a role in Mauritius elections?'' While Indian journalists scoff at this proposition, the locals take it seriously. ``His coming away just on the eve of the U.S. President's visit in itself shows how important Mauritius is for India,'' a local Government officer said. ``The fact that he is here when debates on the budget are going on in the Indian Parliament confirms the special place Mauritius has in his heart,'' the Mauritian Prime Minister said.

If the local talk is to be taken with some amount of seriousness, Mr. Vajpayee is scheduled to have a series of meetings with important political personalities of Mauritius. Whether the coming elections here figure in them would be difficult to confirm officially. But if the locals are to be believed, ``Mr. Vajpayee will guide us when to have elections''.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : International
Previous : It all began in 1987