Shiv Sena leader  Bal Thackeray on Friday conceded that it would be difficult to run a National Democratic Alliance government at the Centre without Atal Bihari Vajpayee at the helm.

Describing the prime minister as a 'mild leader', Thackeray told  reporters, "There is no one else who can attract the people of the country."

He said Vajpayee had played his cards well during the recent controversy over the leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party, but insisted it was the party's internal matter whether to project Vajpayee or Deputy Prime Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani as its leader.

Speaking to mediapersons in Mumbai, he expressed his views on various issues including the Conditional Access System, which he opposed saying it was a ruse to dump some old equipment in India.

He said the countries where the CAS had become obsolete were trying to pass on the equipment to India.