Poll outcome won't affect Govt. stability: PM

By Our Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, MAY 7. The Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, today said that the ISI plot to kill the Tehelka.com chief executive, Mr. Tarun Tejpal, could be part of a larger conspiracy to destabilise the Government and create disturbances.

``I am inclined to think so,'' the Prime Minister told presspersons on his arrival at the airport here for campaigning in the elections.

Mr. Vajpayee said the outcome of the elections would have no effect on the stability of his Government. The Assembly elections were not a referendum on the Central Government or any particular issue. The issues were local and different in different States.

In general, the BJP was promising good governance and eradication of corruption.

The Prime Minister said the BJP would open its account in Kerala. Asked whether his party saw the UDF or the LDF as lesser evil, Mr. Vajpayee said this was not the time for choosing between evil and a lesser evil. The BJP was the third force in the State. Sooner of later, the people would exercise their option to bring the third force to power.

When presspersons referred to the soft attitude of the Congress towards the BJP in the State, he wanted to know whether he should thank the Congress for that.

He said the NDA Government was not responsible for the fall in prices of agriculture commodities. ``The prices have come down and the farmers were in a difficult situation. The Government was coming to their rescue. Whenever a problem arose in Kerala, the Members of Parliament have come to me in Delhi, and I have tried to help them''.

Steps to help farmers

Later, addressing a campaign meeting here, the Prime Minister said the Government was taking measures to check the fall in prices of agricultural and other commodities and help the farmers and small industrialists. The country had to open up to imports because of the agreement with the World Trade Organisation. Import duties on some items had been hiked to help the farmers and small industrialists. The Government had taken steps to procure copra to support the prices. However, there was a limit to how much the Government could procure.

The argument that the new policies had increased unemployment and poverty was not correct. Job opportunities had improved. Foreign exchange reserves were on an all-time high.

Corruption, he said, was a major problem that needed to be fought. Following the Tehelka.com expose, the Government had taken action against some and was ready to take action against others.

However, the Opposition had taken a stand against allowing the Government to function. They walked out of Parliament when relative strengths were to be tested. He said that while the Congress and the CPI(M) fought each other in the State, they were cooperating in opposing the BJP Government at the Centre. In Kerala, the BJP would not be opening account with the aid of the United Democratic Front or the Left Democratic Front, he said obliquely citing the remark of the CPI(M) General Secretary, Mr. Harkishen Singh Surjeet, that if the BJP opened an account in Kerala, it would be with the help of the UDF.

Referring to political violence in West Bengal and Kerala, Mr. Vajpayee said there was no place for violence in a democracy. The people should react against the culture of violence. In West Bengal, the Government was not maintaining law and order properly and it had become difficult for the Opposition to undertake election campaign. There was 551 cases of political violence in Kerala.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Front Page
Previous : AIADMK front a'`bundle of contradictions':
           Vajpayee
Next     : Cong. against antagonising China on NMD