On exit mode? PM talks retirement again

Continuing in the same vein, the PM said people don’t want him to bid adieu but the ‘‘time for retirement has come’’. As stunned BJP leaders listened in dismay, Vajpayee said: ‘‘Pareshan ho gaya hoon, ghar mein aaraam se baithna chahta hoon (I am fed up with the grind, now I want to rest at home)’’. At the same, he dismissed the results of exit polls saying, ‘‘sab pollampol hae (the exit polls are not correct)’’.

In his 30-minute speech, Vajpayee spoke of the NDA government’s performance and how he was able to bind together 26 parties by winning their confidence. He called upon the parties to stick to principled politics. ‘‘

Though the Prime Minister had indicated earlier that the May 5 polls would probably be his last, Vajpayee’s statement today is far more significant. This was his first election meeting in Lucknow from where he is seeking re-election for the fourth time. More importantly, Vajpayee made this statement in the background of a brain-storming session of the BJP leadership earlier in the day to discuss the impact the exit polls would have on the remaining two phases of elections, particularly, in Uttar Pradesh which goes to polls in two phases on May 5 and May 10.

Vajpayee cautioned the Muslims against supporting the Congress as the party had deserted many leaders midstream. In this context, the PM named Jagjivan Ram and Morarji Desai as leaders who were taken for a ride by the Congress.