It was a surreal sight indeed: Thousands of BJP and Shiv Sena cadre thronged outside 10, Janpath, demanding a darshan of Congress Vice President, Shri Rahul Gandhi. The sangh parivaar rank and file’s new found love for the Congress number 2 comes in the wake of Natwar Singh’s revelation that it was at Rahul’s insistence and not her inner voice that Sonia renounced the Prime Ministership. Earlier in the day, Dr Subramanian Swamy set the ball rolling by tweeting, “I hereby confer Buddhu with brahmanical gunas. New code word: Virat Buddhu”.

“Never realized he too did not want a foreign woman to become India’s prime minister, man,” raved a BJP worker, clanging cymbals and chanting praises of the Nehru-Gandhi scion. Union Minister Sushma Swaraj was also seen adding to the revelry on display outside 10, Janpath. “Hadn’t it been for him, I might have had to actually tonsure my head, yaa,” she crooned while shaking her leg to a peppy patriotic number.

A group of over enthusiastic Shiv Sena MPs got into a scuffle with the 10, Janpath chowkidaar, insisting that they wanted to force-feed ladoos to Rahul. They were almost about to ram ladoos down the hapless watchman’s throat before someone wheeled in a giant cut out of Rahul from the 10, Janpath courtyard for them to feed. A few Congress workers looked on aghast, mumbling that even they don’t go to this extent in displaying love and affection for the Nehru-Gandhi scion.

Finally, a beaming Rahul Gandhi appeared on the balcony, waved to the crowds, and rolled up his sleeves. The crowd roared in joy. And then he said, “India mein Dr Manmohan Singh ko Prime Minister kaun banaya? [Who made Dr Manmohan Singh the Prime Minister of the country?]”, bursting the bubble of euphoria that had built up.