New alternative to Congress would emerge: PM Wednesday, April 14 2004 22:22 Hrs (IST)
New Delhi:
Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today (April 14, 2004) said a new alternative to the Congress can emerge within the Opposition if the party failed to play its role effectively and indicated that some new parties could join National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and some could leave it after the coming Lok Sabha polls.
"Some new parties can join NDA and some can leave it also after the polls. This process will go on. But one thing is clear that a big party will come up in opposition of the Congress. If the Congress does not play its role effectively it will lose its status as an alternative and some new alternative will emerge," Vajpayee said in an interview to Doodarshan.
The Prime Minister was asked whether he foresaw a new NDA after the upcoming elections and whether some new parties could join it.
He, however, declined to hazard a guess on which party could join the NDA. "I will not make an assessment now because those who are with us in this elections are very close. But there are some parties which do not want to join us but they have their ideological sympathy with us. Only the future will tell which party takes what shape."
Vajpayee rejected the Opposition claim that the "feel good" was confined to a particular section.