New Delhi, May 2 :     The embers of rebellion are still alive in Madan Lal Khurana. Although the former BJP vice-president and former Delhi chief minister has 'made up' with Atal Behari Vajpayee - after threatening to raise the Sankhya Vahini issue in the Lok Sabha - Khurana protested against infotech and parliamentary affairs minister Pramod Mahajan's reported remarks against him with the Prime Minister. His protest was occasioned by a remark reportedly made yesterday in Pune by Mahajan who said Khurana was stripped of the vice-president's post to 'teach him a lesson'. 'Who is that Pramod Mahajan to teach me a lesson? Is he is the BJP president or vice-president or chairman of something?' Khurana told reporters, before setting off to meet Vajpayee and formally lodge his protest. Khurana later said Vajpayee heard him and said, 'Don't worry, we are all with you. I will take up this matter.' Whether Vajpayee actually gets down to talking to Mahajan or not is still in the realm of speculation, but in BJP circles the buzz is that he is no longer Vajpayee's favourite and does not enjoy the same degree of clout as he did in the latter's first prime ministerial stint when Mahajan was made his political adviser despite losing his Lok Sabha seat. Khurana did not attend this morning's BJP parliamentary party meeting reportedly to express his 'disgust' at Mahajan's comment. For the record, however, he maintained he did not show up because there was 'no point' in raising the issues he wanted to in such a large gathering. Khurana showered praise on Vajpayee and called him his 'hero'. 'I have been hero-worshipping him ever since I was a student at Allahabad University in 1958-59. I would insist on speaking in students' functions on the condition that Atalji would be invited to give the keynote address,' he said as 'proof' of his 'devotion' to the Prime Minister. In the BJP parliamentary party meeting, which he chaired, Vajpayee told the MPs to raise issues and express opinions in the party fora and not outside. 'Otherwise it will spoil the atmosphere,' he added. Stressing that a coalition government had its own problems and difficulties, Vajpayee directed his MPs to exercise 'self-restraint' while promising to allow them to discuss any issue in the appropriate forum. 'We have to be careful while discussing issues. If new facts come to light on any issue the government and the party are willing to discuss that too,' the Prime Minister said.