Gopalganj, April 11: There is not much respectability to the terribly potholed stretches that pass off as national highways in Bihar. But if your name is Lal Krishna Advani, things can be a wee bit better.

The route from Patna to Gopalganj and back, which the deputy Prime Minister took during his Bharat Uday yatra, saw labourers doing unusual work. The potholes on the left lane of the highway — on which Advani would travel — were filled up at a frenzied pace.

Sources said the emergency road repair methods were unusual. The workers would first shove into the craters on the road a large quantity of long, green grass — even leaves — and then put huge quantities of hot charcoal-laced concrete over them. A road-roller would then level them out.

But the moot question was: why should an RJD-led government work to give Advani a smooth ride, specially when he was the constant target of Laloo Prasad Yadav’s jibes?

Sources said road repair funds usually came from three sources: the local MP; the central public works department; and, in rare cases, the state.

“Roads of Bihar are a constant laughing matter all over the country. The emergency work has given us some respectability because Advaniji would feel less pain. We have at least ensured that VIP travellers do not suffer from constant body ache,” a government engineer said at Motipur near Muzaffarpur. Only, he had no idea that Advani had already termed Bihar’s highways “abortion roads”.

BJP leaders said there was little they could have done about the roads. “In Motihari and Muzaffarpur districts, we did manage some finances, but the situation is the same — even worse — in other parts. We are fortunate Advaniji will be passing through the Jehanabad-Gaya road, which is a little better,” a senior leader said.

But the people have no illusions. “This is a poll-time gimmick. They had an NDA government in Delhi all these years, but the roads did not improve. The Centre said it gave all the necessary money on time,” said Shankar Jaiswal, a resident of Muzaffarpur.