This story is from August 18, 2018

Bhagalpur residents fondly remember ex-PM’s speech

Bhagalpur residents fondly remember ex-PM’s speech
BHAGALPUR: Senior citizens of Bhagalpur still remember how Vajpayee’s fiery speech at Ashiwini Kumar Chaubey’s election rally in January 2005, highlighting the prevailing crime scenario and corruption in state, sounded the death knell for the RJD regime.
Addressing a mammoth gathering, the former PM had roared, “Kahan hain mera Kislay aur Dipak? Koi mujhe mere Kislay aur Dipak se mila de… unhe lauta de… (where is my Kislay and Dipak? Please somebody come and help me to meet them)”, in the backdrop of Bhagalpur boy Dipak Bharti and Patna boy Kislay’s kidnapping.

He went on to say: “Sarkar unki (Kislay and Dipak) koi khabar kyun nahi de rahi hai? Mujhe pata chala hai ki iss rajya mey logon ko uthakar ley jaane ka dhanda joron per hai… apharan ke dhandhe ko band karne ke liye rajya sarkar ke dhandhe ko hee band karna hoga… (Why is this state government not giving any information or doing anything to recover them? I have come to know that abduction/kidnapping has become an industry in this state. To put an end to all this, we have to throw out this inefficient regime)."There was a huge outrage following Vajpayee’s remarks and even schoolchildren took to the streets to demand Kislay’s release and sought the intervention of then President APJ Abdul Kalam.
Both Dipak and Kislay owe their lives to the former PM. Dipak’s parents Kapildeo Mahato and Rukmani Devi said their son was released from confinement five days after Atalji’s speech. Kislay too was safely freed after a week from captivity in a Samastipur village.
Vajpayee, in fact, had visited the Silk City more than a half-a-dozen times both as a Jansangh pracharak and also to address election rallies after becoming the Prime Minister.
Former district president and BJP leader Harivansh Mani Singh said, “Vajapyeeji had sounded the bugle of revolt against the then PM Indira Gandhi’s regime in 1974.” Former Bhagalpur MP and Gandhian leader Dr Ramjee Singh said Vajpayee was a liberal leader and had followings cutting across party lines.
Octogenarian RSS pracharak Rajendra Mandal said: “I had worked with Vajpayeeji as a Jansangh pracharak. He had visited Bhagalpur more than 10 times and always left an indelible impact on the minds of his political colleagues and even common people.”
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