Advani's office on wheels set to roll

Rath gives way to luxury bus yatra

Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani will lead a 33-day yatra from Kashmir to Kanyakumari that the BJP calls the "India Shining"or "Bharat Uday" Yatra.

The 7,000-km odyssey will be different from previous yatras because apart from Ram Mandir, the focus will also be the message of the dawn of a new India.

His mode of travel? No, not the Toyota Rath that Advani used in his yatra seven years ago, not even the Gaurav Rath that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi used to dazzling effect during the Assembly elections "" but an ultra-modern, retrofitted Swaraj Mazda, in keeping with the futuristic vision of India that the BJP wants to sell in this election.

This will be no ordinary bus but an airconditioned office on wheels. It will, naturally, have a TV, a DVD and a fridge. It will also have a pull-out sofa bed, plug points for computers, points for static electricity and a lift operated hydraulically that will transport the occupant to the roof of the bus, specially strengthened and modified to turn into a platform from which he can address a large gathering.

The bus has no kitchen or pantry but a microwave oven can be installed if needed. A soundless generator will be tucked away in one corner.

The BJP considered installing a satellite phone in the bus but decided against it because this needs a static antenna and mobiles are sufficient for communication. Two to three people can be accommodated comfortably in the bus.

From the outside, the front of the bus will be modified to look like a chariot. The picture of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee will be welded on to the front along with two cut-outs representing Bharat Mata.

The medium, the message and the messenger - the bus was designed to convey all three to gaping audiences, BJP sources explained, adding that it would be available for public viewing on Wednesday.