Besides being a PM for 10 months and 20 days, I have also had the bitter experience of having supported the Congress in 2004, as Karnataka did not give its full mandate to one political party. At that juncture, persuaded by V P Singh and Harkishan Singh Surjeet, I extended my support to the Congress. My party suffered because of that. I begged Madam Gandhi to make Siddaramaiah the CM. The meeting between the two of us went on for five days. I have no grouse against her and I am not going to make any comment on the decision made by her and her followers, including the former CM...  

•...another of your favourite Congressmen, S M Krishna.

They were not prepared to accept our proposition. We wanted the Kashmir model.

•Half-and-half...

...Though Mufti’s party was a smaller party, at that time, he was given the chief ministership. When I pursued those lines, Madam told us, you must accept the Maharashtra model. Despite my persuasion through those five days, she stuck to her stand and on the sixth day said, ‘we will go for elections if you don’t agree’. I am not going to blame her, but the local leaders sabotaged our efforts. And how many people can she suspend from the party? By that time in Kerala, Karunakaran had already been expelled.

•What is your view on Mrs Gandhi?

Personally, I have no grouse against her, because the Karnataka issue was not because of her, it was because of the local leaders.

... contd.