Rajnath chose to hail the BJP-ruled states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Karnataka, besides Gujarat for “admirably combating terrorism” and unearthing the SIMI network. The rest of his speech was devoted to Amarnath, the Ram Sethu and issues like the changing of the Kendriya Vidyalaya logo, a charter that Rajnath thinks would help reposition himself as the party’s new hardliner mascot.

Reiterating his call to nationalise the (Ranga Morh-Baltal camp dirt track) stretch leading to the Amarnath shrine, he appealed to all parties to “reconsider their position on Article 370”. The BJP president also demanded a “special area in the Kashmir Valley” for the rehabilitation of the Kashmiri Pandits.

The UPA Government’s July 22 trust vote (“when lok tantra turned into note-tantra), rising prices, the agrarian crisis, and the Bihar floods also found a mention in the BJP president’s speech.