Flagging the point that energy security was vital to reduce poverty and to maintain growth while batting for the Indo-US nuclear deal, the scion of the Gandhi family made a mention of Vajpayee's role.
Participating in the trust vote debate, Gandhi first praised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for showing "tremendous courage and confidence" by realising the problem of energy deficiency in the country and working for its solution.
In the same breath, Gandhi praised Vajpayee saying he "also saw the problem (of energy deficiency) and worked for its solution" in remarks that took the saffron party members by surprise.