New Delhi: Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today (Apr 8, 2004) said time has not come for him yet to give up the post.

"Abhi mere chhodne ka waqt nahin hai (It is not the time for me to leave yet)," he told a press conference in New Delhi in reply to questions.

The Prime Minister was asked about his comments in Lucknow that without L K Advani's nod, he would not have occupied the top slot and his earlier remarks that under Advani's leadership the party wants to move forward and that the party wants the leadership to be handed over to the Deputy Prime Minister.

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He was also asked whether the time had also come for the party leadership to be handed over to Advani and is there apprehension that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) would not accept Advani's leadership.

Vajpayee parried questions on his age and the need for the leadership being handed over to the younger generation.

"We will discuss (this) issue later," was all that the 79-year old Vajpayee had to say when he was reminded of his own statement made decades ago where he was critical of the then ageing Prime Minister Charan Singh and called for the leadership to be handed over to the younger generation.