NEWSLINKS US EDITION COLUMNISTS DIARY SPECIALS INTERVIEWS CAPITAL BUZZ REDIFF POLL THE STATES ELECTIONS ARCHIVES SEARCH REDIFF
Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Sunday admitted that systemic failures within his government were responsible for the tehelka.com episode and there was a need to introspect and rectify the shortcomings.
"Yes, there is a need for introspection so that there can be a mechanism to prevent such incidents in future," Vajpayee told reporters soon after the conclusion of the two-day national executive meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
"Main patrakaron ko dosh nahin deta [I don't blame journalists]," he said, pointing out that if there were no shortcomings in the system, there would have been no Tehelka episode.
"Hum-mein kuchh kamiyan hain [there is something lacking in us]," Vajpayee confessed.
He also referred to the "serious issue of state funding [of elections]", which he said calls for everyone's attention.
Referring to the issue of electoral reforms, the prime minister said all parties would need to examine how election expenses could be curtailed.
"We know [approximately] how much a candidate spends for his or her election, but we don't know how much the parties spend," he pointed out, adding that all parties would have to hammer out a consensus on this sensitive issue.
"I hope all the parties will co-operate on this issue. Iss vishay mein badlao lane ki aur amal karne ki zaroorat hai [Changes need to be made and implemented on this issue].
Asked about the Bharatiya Janata Party's electoral tie-up with the Trinamul Congress in West Bengal for the impending assembly election, Vajpayee said, "Such a possibility is fast receding," but did not elaborate.
BJP spokesman Narendra Modi, however, maintained that the party's talks with the Trinamul Congress were still on. He said that in Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry, the BJP was contesting the assembly elections in association with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and in Kerala with smaller parties.
Modi said his party desired to see the Communist governments in Kerala and West Bengal ousted.
Referring to Assam, he alleged that while the Congress had joined hands with the banned United Liberation Front of Asom for the assembly election, the ruling Asom Gana Parishad was contesting with the help of surrendered ULFA cadres.
The Complete Coverage | Defence sites
Back to top
Tell us what you think of this report
