Pirni: Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today (June 18, 2004) said he owned "maximum" responsibility for BJP's (Bharatiya Janata Party) defeat in the Lok Sabha elections and that he would do "penance" for it.

"I take maximum responsibility for the defeat because the elections were fought in my name. I will do penance for it," he told reporters.

Asked what he meant by penance, he said we will work very hard. "There will be no lacking in hard work," Vajpayee said.

To a question whether the next election would be fought under him, the former Prime Minister said no one knows what will happen in future but we will work very hard.