PUNE: Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had displayed humility by offering his chair on a stage to the wife of his colleague L K Advani at the latter's birthday at a hotel here in 1995, a hotelier recalled today.
The hotelier, Dattatreya Chitale, also recalled Vajpayee's fondness for "Kanda Pohe", the traditional Marathi breakfast, whenever he used to visit the hotel located on Apte Road in the city.
Chitale, the owner of hotel "Shreyas" which serves vegetarian 'Puneri' cuisine, said Vajpayee must have stayed at his hotel at least 15 to 16 times between 1980 and 1995.
He recalled that a three-day national executive meet of the BJP was organised at Arora Tower in Pune in November 1995.
BJP leaders, including Advani and Vajpayee, had come to Pune to attend that meet.
"Since the BJP had earlier organised their national executive meet at our hotel in 1984, I insisted that all the BJP functionaries should at least have one meal at our hotel. Since Vajpayee always had penchant for our food, he readily consented and it was decided to have dinner on November 7, 1995, on the event of Advaniji's birthday," he recalled.
Chitale said after dinner, BJP leaders decided to celebrate Advani's birthday at midnight when Vajpayee, who was declared as the Prime Ministerial candidate of the BJP, was supposed to felicitate Advani.
"Two chairs were arranged on a small stage at the hotel as a makeshift arrangement, for Advani and Vajpayee. All BJP leaders gathered inside the hall and were expecting Advani and Vajpayee to occupy the chairs, Vajpayee did unthinkable," Chitale said.
Vajpayee said he was not going to sit beside Advani and invited the latter's wife Kamala Advani from the front row to come and sit beside her husband, according to Chitale.
Quoting Vajapyee, he said, "Today this chair belongs to Kamalaji".
Recalling Vajpayee's love for 'Kande Pohe', Chitale said the BJP patriarch had come to attend a programme in 1996 in a five-star hotel in Pune.
"Since he was a former prime minister (after NDA's first stint ended in 13 days) he was accorded a high-level security. I went to the hotel with 'Kande Pohe' but was stopped by security personnel at the door of his room. While I was asking the security personnel to let Vajpayeeji know that Chitale has come with 'Kande Pohe', he yelled from inside and instructed the security personnel to allow me inside the room," he recalled.
He said Vajpayee was also fond of Marathi theatre.
"Once after concluding a programme in Pune, we were returning to the hotel. While our car reached near famous Balgandharva auditorium, Vajpayee hurriedly enquired about the play being staged there and said lets go and watch it. However, that could not happen as it was 11 pm," Chitale recalled.