Will you still need me, will you still feed me.
When I'm sixty-four...
-- The Beatles

The prime minister's presence was a coup for Pawar. Though he sat with his eyes shut through most of the adoring speeches (and who could blame him?) Vajpayee came to life at the podium. He praised Pawar for being a rare politician who did his homework and cited the former Maharashtra chief minister's studied opposition to the Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance. "He had studied the legislation," Vajpayee said, "unlike other politicians who opposed POTO without even reading it." Whether those ranks included their common adversary Sonia Gandhi was left to the audience to speculate.