New Delhi: In an apparent damage-control exercise, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today (April 21, 2004) said Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee is not averse to a coalition Government at the Centre but favoured a "compact" coalition consisting of "fewer" parties.

"I can understand alliance of one or two or three or four parties but I am again worried that 22 parties will (run the Government).... it will not be good," Vajpayee had told a public meeting at Nagpur on April 17, according to the full text of his speech made available today.

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"There is a need for the people to adopt a new path. Now we are facing Lok Sabha polls and it will end but will there be a political stability in the country or not or again the country will witness play of 22 parties and their alliance," he had said.

"We have an alliance with Akali Dal in Punjab and it is running well. We have no grievance against each other. We have alliance with Shiv Sena and it is running very well," Vajpayee said, adding he was often asked as to how he was running a coalition of 22 political parties. His answer was that he was doing so by consulting every partner. "I have been telling the countrymen that make up your mind," he said.