Vajpayee will take decision during surgery, if needed

Vajpayee will take decision during surgery, if needed
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

MUMBAI, OCTOBER 9: Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee will not be handing over charge to anybody. He will continue to perform his duties during the length of his surgery and hospitalisation. The surgery itself is expected to last not more than two-and-a-half hours and it will be conducted under regional anaesthesia. This would mean the Prime Minister will be fully conscious right through surgery and can take decisions, if the need arose.

``There is no question of some one else holding interim charge. Even during the operation, he will be able to speak and give directives,'' Union Minister for Information Technology Pramod Mahajan confirmed.

Vajpayee has expressed his gratitute to the people of the country for their good wishes for his knee-joint surgery and also expressed regrets for any inconvenience caused to his fellow patients and residents of the area.

In a statement released from the hospital Vajpayee said: ``I am overwhelmed by this outpouring of warmth and affection. I sincerely thank all my well-wishers.

``Efforts are being made to minimize the inconvenience caused to my fellow patients and their relatives at the hospital as also to residents of the neighbourhood during my stay here. Even so, I regret any inconvenience caused inadvertently to them.''

Vajpayee said he had received good wishes from a very large number of organisations representing ``all sections of our diverse society and all parts of our vast nation. I have also received greetings from many organisations representing the world-wide Indian diaspora''.