Vajpayee Once Traveled by Kinnimulky Rocky Dias’s ‘Toyota Crown Super Saloon’ Car

Vajpayee Once Traveled by Kinnimulky Rocky Dias’s ‘Toyota Crown Super Saloon’ Car

Former Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee Once Traveled by Kinnimulky Rocky Dias’s ‘Toyota Crown Super Saloon’ Car to Kannur in Kerala for a party programme, sometime in the 1980’s.

Mangaluru: Former Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee had a special connection with undivided Dakshina Kannada district right from his young age when he was campaigning for Jan Sangh. His first visit to the undivided Dakshina Kannada district was in 1957 when he had come to campaign for the then Jan Sangh and he was 32 years old at that time. Sources reveal that whenever Vajpayee was in Udupi, he was accompanied by BJP leader Late Dr V S Acharya.

Dr Kiran Acharya, son of Dr V S Acharya speaking to media had recalled vivid memories of Vajpayee, where he said, “Out of the six times Vajpayee visited Udupi, he had breakfast at our home five times. His bond with my father was strong and I remember his poetic capabilities. He attracted us through his mild manners and instant humour. My father used to drive for Vajpayee and I used to sit in the front seat of the car. Vajpayee preferred to talk. I have that Maruthi 800 car even now as I like to cherish those days’’.

Another instance that Dr Kiran has brought to the notice of media, where he said, “During 1980’s, Vajpayee had come to Udupi and my father borrowed the 1981 Toyota Crown Super Saloon car from his close friend Rocky Dias, hailing from Kinnimulky. The 1981 Toyota Crown Super Salon six cylinder 2.8L engine (bearing registration number CNX 8888) car was driven during poll campaign to Kannur, for a party programme”

Dr Kiran who had accompanied Vajpayee on the Toyota narrating their journey to the media said, “The car was a left hand drive one and my father was good at driving. All through the journey what I noticed was Vajpayee was a jovial person, passed witty comments in chaste Hindi. Even if he had to ridicule somebody, he would do it in a dignified way. My understanding of Hindi was not that great then, but we could get the gist of it. Now my understanding of Hindi is better and would have enjoyed it more. What I have understood of Vajpayee is he was a down to earth person always curious to know things.”

In the mean time, Rocky Dias, aged 71 now, recalling that Dr Acharya had requested him to loan his Toyota, the only in that region with a power steering along with air conditioning for a 10-day poll campaign in Kerala state, speaking to the media said, ” Vajpayee’s bad back during Kannur visit had prompted Dr Acharya to request me to loan the car, when I was then in Abu Dhabhi, working as port controller at Das Island and Jebel Dhanna/Ruwais, United Arab Emirates. I readily agreed to loan my car, but I do not remember the year, but I know he was not the PM then. But I must say that car forged strongly our family’s friendship with Vajpayee.”

” When he came down to Udupi in 2001 as a Prime Minister, he invited me and my wife Wilma to have breakfast along with him at the Inspection Bungalow. On another occasion, I was invited on the stage during a function and Lal Krishna Advani garlanded me in the presence of Vajpayee. I had bought this Japanese model car in 1981, where I had used it for two years in Abu Dhabhi and then later shipped it to India in 1984. Since then it has been in my house in Kinnimulky in perfect running condition. Yes, I had met Vajpayee earlier during Emergency. But the car further forged our friendship,” adds Dias.