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PRESS TRUST OF INDIA
Lucknow, Nov 25: Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today sought to smoothen ruffled feathers of ousted Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh by saying that no individual should be held responsible for BJP's reverses in the recent Lok Sabha polls in the state.
``Everyone, including myself, is responsible for the party's reverses in UP. And it is wrong to blame any individual for this,'' Vajpayee told reporters here.
He also said the party was keen on utilising Singh's ``vast experience and capabilities'' and would take a decision on this count soon.''
Asked why in that case Singh had been removed from chief ministership and UP BJP chief Rajnath Singh rewarded with a union Cabinet berth, Vajpayee shot back saying ``in fact, I had first requested Singh to join the Union Cabinet while Rajnath Singh's name figured later."
Vajpayee, however, differed with the perception of Singh that putting on backburner the contentious issues of temple, uniform civil code and ending special status for Jammu andKashmir was responsible for the BJP's poll reverses and pointed out that the party had won 57 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh in 1998 even though these issues were not part of its agenda.
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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