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EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
BANGALORE, FEB 7: Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda said the country will suffer if the Congress did not pull down the BJP government in the Centre.
``If the Congress did not take the initiative in this direction, it will be very unfortunate and the people will continue to suffer under the BJP rule which had made the country hang its head in shame following attacks on Christians in some States,'' he said. He said he did not cling to his chair as Prime Minister even when offers of help came from many friends like George Fernades, Ram Jethmalani and even from BJP at the last minute when they said they would save him if he agreed with them on some issues. ``I said no, thanks and resigned. Poor Vajpayee, he cannot do the same now. I do not know his compulsions to stick to the chair.
All his reputation as that of a great Opposition leader has been washed away in just eight months as prime minister. Still, he is not as free as I was,'' he said. He said not a single copy of Bible or a single church was burntin Gujarat when he was prime minister. ``That was because the chief minister knew that he cannot wag his tail when a strong person like me was at the helm'', he said. Janata Dal president Sharad Yadav said except on the issue of communalism, both the Congress and the BJP are working together.
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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