Ranchi, Feb. 1: Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today kicked off his party’s campaign in Jharkhand from the platform of an influential RSS-affiliated outfit, refreshing people’s memories about his government’s achievements but forgetting his rival’s name in the process.

He did not announce any package for Jharkhand, but promised to steer the entire nation towards prosperity if voted back to power. “When I last came to Ranchi (then part of undivided Bihar), I promised a separate Jharkhand state if voted to power. We kept our word. We will transform the nation in the next five years,” he said.

Vajpayee took a dig at rival Sonia Gandhi, but called her Indira Gandhi instead. “When I said in Parliament that our government has given 80 lakh jobs, Indira Gandhi ridiculed me. But when I presented the factual accounts, she was rendered speechless,” he said.

Reacting to the reference to Indira Gandhi, a teacher said: “It is intriguing that the government leader has forgotten the Opposition leader’s name. It is also possible that by taking Indira Gandhi’s name repeatedly, Vajpayee indirectly tried to belittle Sonia.”