Indirectly alleging that he was not being made a minister because he was an Advani loyalist, Sinha said if this was the case he would rather not become a minister. If he was inspired by anyone in the BJP today, it was Home Minister L K Advani, he said. ``I cannot change my character or relations in exchange for a position.''

While covertly criticising Vajpayee, Sinha was all praise for Congress president Sonia Gandhi. The recent victory of the Congress in the Assembly elections showed that the people had accepted her as the bahu of the nation and not a foreigner, he said.``It is Sonia who deserves all the credit for the spectacular Congress victory.''

Asked whether his new-found admiration for the Congress was the first step towards joining that party, he replied, ``As long as I am in this party, I am bound by the discipline of the party.'' Asked to elaborate, he said, ``As far as permanence is concerned, there can even be a separation between a husband and wife.''

Expressing disappointment at being excluded from the recent Cabinet expansion, Sinha said if loyalty was a deciding factor, then how had many first-timers been accommodated. As for popularity, even those who had lost the Lok Sabha elections -- he named Jaswant Singh and Pramod Mahajan -- had been included. He himself was more popular than many ministers today, he said, ``and the people love me more''.