No, that was not in any way a crucifixion. I’ll certainly say that it caused me pain.

•It was an Inquisition, all right?

I would not put it that way. I did say that in my entire political life there have been occasions like the hawala (case) also, but those were false accusations made against me by the then government, adversaries. This caused me anguish because it was my own party and my own family, ideological family, which failed to understand what precisely I had said and why.

•Will you now explain this. I know it has come up many times, but we have time, so could you put it in perspective.

I would only say that, when I went to Pakistan, all that I had in mind was to carry forward the process started by Atal Bihari Vajpayee when he was prime minister. . . that we are neighbours, so why can’t we have normal relations. But even at that time, he went to Lahore, met Nawaz Sharif who was prime minister, it was a bus ride, and it became historic. But what happened was that, about the same time, his general, without his (Sharif’s) knowledge, managed Kargil. And that, naturally, hurt Vajpayeeji badly. And as Sharif later on told Vajpayeeji, he himself was taken aback (at Kargil).

•In fact he said this in a Walk the Talk with me. He put his hand on his heart, and said, ‘I want to tell Mr Vajpayee that I didn’t betray him.

... contd.