Date:10/12/2002 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2002/12/10/stories/2002121004930100.htm

Front Page

Vajpayee hits back at Sonia

Surat Dec. 9. The Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, today came down heavily on the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, for her objections to criticism of former Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, and queried if her party was moving towards another spell of Emergency.

At a public gathering here, accompanied by the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Mayawati, he scoffed at the Congress' allegations that the BJP at the Centre and in Gujarat were ``incompetent'' in governance. Referring to Ms. Gandhi's remarks at Mehsana that she ``dared anybody to point fingers at Indira Gandhi,'' Vajpayee questioned... ``How is it possible to forget Indira Gandhi...? She has been our nation's Prime Minister for 19 years''. She had played a democratic role to help even Bangladesh in its troubled times but failed to reach a solution on Kashmir.

Recalling that he had complimented Indira Gandhi for the country's victory in the 1971 war, Mr. Vajpayee said he had told her in Parliament that the treaty signed with Pakistan after the war was faulty. India should have refused to release Pakistani soldiers till Pakistan gave up its claim on Kashmir permanently. ``Is saying so humiliation (of Indira)? If we praise her it suits them (the Congress) and if we criticise, they feel bad,'' he said.

On Sonia Gandhi's allegations that the BJP Governments at the Centre and Gujarat had ``done nothing'', the Prime Minister said ``it is ridiculous... The Congress is not able to see the good things because of poll fever.'' Justifying his appreciation of the Narendra Modi Government to which Ms. Gandhi had objected, he said, ``my praise was based on reality. In several areas, excellent work has been done.''

PTI