The Hindu : Front Page : V. P. Singh's claim laughable: Vajpayee

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jun 29, 2006

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V. P. Singh's claim laughable: Vajpayee

Neena Vyas

"Did not favour launch of a new party as alternative to the Congress"

NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Wednesday rejected the suggestion in the memoirs of former Prime Minister V. P. Singh that soon after Mr. Singh resigned from the Congress before the 1989 Lok Sabha elections, Mr. Vajpayee was in favour of the idea of leaders from different political parties coming together to launch a new party.

Describing Mr. Singh's comments in his book, `Manzil Se Jyada Safar', as "laughable," Mr. Vajpayee denied that he was "unhappy" in the BJP and wanted to explore the idea of setting up a new party along with Mr. Singh and some others as an alternative to the Congress.

"Far from the truth"

In a statement here, Mr. Vajpayee said: "For Mr. Vishwanath Pratap Singh to say that at that time I was unhappy in the BJP is not only far from the truth, but is [also] laughable." He denied that he had ever talked to Mr. Singh or suggested to him that some selected leaders should get together on a common political platform.

Mr. Vajpayee said Mr. Singh's statements would have led to wrong impressions. "I am making this statement to remove such doubts."

In his book — written by Ram Bahadur Rai on the basis of questions posed by him and answers given by Mr. V. P. Singh — Mr. Singh was asked what came in the way of BJP leader Jaswant Singh's efforts that Mr. Vajpayee should leave the BJP and help form a new party.

Mr. V. P. Singh's response was: "At that time, Atal Bihari Vajpayee was unhappy in the BJP. He was in favour of the proposal that some select leaders should make efforts towards starting a new political party. I feel that if that had been possible, a new kind of political alternative would have become a reality. Bhairon Singh Shekhawat [now Vice-President] was also of this view."

Later when asked about the role of former External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh, Mr. V. P. Singh said: "As soon as I resigned from the Congress party, he [Jaswant Singh] came to my house. He encouraged me and said I had taken the right decision. He was continuously in touch with me. He was in favour of the coming together of various parties. His view was that I should bring together the good men in different parties under one party. I respect him. In very difficult times he helped me, not on behalf of his party, but personally."

On Tuesday, Mr. Jaswant Singh was reported to have described Mr. V.P. Singh's comments as more fitting for fiction than memoirs.

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