Dehri-on-sone: BJP president Rajnath Singh today sought to play down media reports that former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had threatened to stay away from the party rally at Lucknow as he was upset with Leader of Opposition L K Advani’s remarks on the Kandahar hijack.

‘‘Vajpayee is undergoing physiotherapy. Since the course is for 20-25 days, he will not be able to visit Lucknow,’’ he said on board the Bharat Suraksha Yatra Rath.

Singh was reacting to reports that Vajpayee had taken strong objection to Advani’s recent remarks suggesting that he, as home minister in the NDA government, had opposed the swap of terrorists including Jaish-E-Mohammad chief Azhar Masood for passengers on board the hijacked IC-814 aircraft in December 2001. He said he had spoken to Vajpayee over phone and there was no reference to Kandahar during the conversation. ‘‘There is no such threat,’’ he said, adding that in fact Vajpayee had blessed him and Advani before start of the yatras.

In Delhi, party spokesman Prakash Javadekar declined comment on the “speculative” reports. — PTI