'Terror-struck' Advani skips Holi, PM greets Prez

Starting from the common man to the political bigwigs, everyone came out on the streets in large numbers to celebrate Holi, the festival of colours.

Children and adults gleefully sprayed coloured water and smeared each other with colours of the rainbow. Water-filled balloons were hurled down from rooftops and balconies accompanied by shouts of 'Holi Hai!' renting the air.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met and greeted President Pratibha Patil on the occasion, his first meeting with her since his coronary by-pass surgery nearly seven weeks back.

Otherwise, it was a quiet Holi for Singh, who is recovering after a by-pass surgery in January. Some of his Cabinet colleagues called on Singh and extended Holi greetings.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi greeted her party workers with a Holi SMS while party workers were seen celebrating among themselves outside the AICC office. Gandhi later celebrated Holi with school children at her residence where she applied 'gulal' on them.

Though BJP's prime ministerial candidate L K Advani did not celebrate Holi in the backdrop of Mumbai terror attacks, his party chief Rajnath Singh and senior leader V K Malhotra celebrated the festival at their residences here.

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit too celebrated the festival of colours at her residence. BJP patriarch A B Vajpayee did not celebrate Holi due to ill-health.

In Gujarat, BJP spokesperson I K Jadeja was seen celebrating Holi with family and friends at his residence.

Holi was celebrated with traditional fervour in Bihar but Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his bete noire RJD supremo Lalu Prasad refrained from celebrating the festival of colours to empathise with the victims of Kosi floods and Mumbai terror strike.

Uncharacteristic silence enveloped 1, Anne Marg, the official residence of the chief minister who kept indoors but greeted people through advertised messages.