Lucknow: Congress-backed independent candidate from Lucknow Ram Jethmalani today (Apr 28, 2004) alleged that Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had got the "chief culprit" in the Telgi scam retransferred to the Nasik printing press from Hyderabad, a charge described by PMO (Prime Ministers Office) as an "election gimmick".

In his fourth set of questions to Vajpayee, he alleged that Ganga Prasad, Deputy General Manager of the Government printing press in Nasik, was transferred to Hyderabad in a routine manner.

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Since Nasik was the scene of Ganga Prasad's "nefarious activities", he was interested in getting himself re-transferred to Nasik, Jethmalani claimed.

He alleged that Prasad approached some Telugu Desam MPs and MLAs, who in turn took up the matter with Vajpayee and Prasad was transferred back to Nasik.

Asked to comment on Jethmalani's allegation, a PMO spokesman said charges were part of his "election gimmick".

Accusing Vajpayee of raking up the foreign origin issue of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, the noted lawyer asked Vajpayee as to why he did not oppose the Citizenship Act when it was adopted by the Parliament in 1955 and demand provisions imposing disqualification on persons of foreign origin from occupying the highest constitutional post.

"Why has this change in the law and constitution occurred to you only when you are facing the prospect of being unseated and thrown out of power," he asked Vajpayee.

Jethmalani also alleged that there was a tacit understanding between Vajpayee and the Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Terming Vajpayee's appeal to the Muslims not to support the Congress, Jethmalani said that it reflected his nervousness as he knew that the Muslims would never vote for him (Vajpayee).