May 11, 1998

Dilip Bobb

For a man famed for his oratorial skills, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee seems to have taken a vow of silence. Perhaps he is taking a leaf out of Sonia Gandhi's book on How to Succeed Without Even Speaking. His silence is in stark contrast to the vocal shenanigans of his cabinet colleagues. Last week, he finally agreed to an interview with a very private TV channel. Extracts (suitably edited for long pauses in between questions and answers):

Q. Mr Prime Minister, it is only been a month but already there are major differences in the Cabinet.

A. Only a month? It seems like many years have passed and there are still so many promises to keep and many miles to go before I sleep.

Q. We all admire your love for poetry, but it seems apparent to everybody that your promises to people like Jayalalitha are causing a rift.

A. As I have said before, there are pre-election alliances and then there are post-election allowances. If we have increased the allowances of university teachers, what is the harm in increasing allowances for other deserving candidates?

Q. But it is making your Government look vulnerable to blackmail. How long can this last?

A. I have told Jaswant Singh to maintain his present rigid position.

Q. What rigid position is that?

A. Permanently bending backwards. As I have said before, we have the people's mandate, so there is no need for concern.

Q. What about your Cabinet colleagues. They are speaking at cross purposes.

A. We have coalition partners who crossed over for a purpose. You see, they don't have the people's mandate like we do, so it will take time for them to realise that they are no longer in the Opposition.

Q. But even L.K. Advani has been advocating a presidential form of government.

A. We used to demand a presidential form of government in states like Bihar and Tamil Nadu because things were getting out of hand. He is demanding the same. Because we have the people's mandate, the wording is slightly different from that in the Constitution.

Q. To get away from politics, what do you think of Shane Warne's comment that he wakes up with nightmares of his nemesis ...

A. I can sympathise with him. I too have the same feeling, except in my dream it's this large woman with a whip ...

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