NEWS
ANALYSIS
SPECIALS
INTERVIEW
CAMPAIGN TRAIL
CONSTITUENCY
ISSUES
GALLERY
MANIFESTOS
INDIA SPEAKS!
COUNTDOWN
CHAT
PREVIOUS RESULTS
SCHEDULE
DISCUSSION GROUP

Vajpayee offers an olive branch to the opposition

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today asked the opposition to forget the acrimony generated during campaigning and honour the public mandate, which clearly showed that the people were looking forward to a stable polity which will ensure rapid socio-economic development.

Thanking the public for reposing their faith in the National Democratic Alliance through the ballot he said the 1999 mandate reflected the maturity and wisdom of the voter. For the first time since 1984 a clear majority has been given to a contender, he pointed out.

''Free and fair elections are the test of a democracy. It gives me tremendous pleasure that India has one again passed this litmus test with flying colours and re-established our nation's unshakeable commitment to democracy,'' the prime minister said in a statement.

Prime Minister A B Vajpayee today asked the opposition to forget the acrimony generated during campaigning and honour the public mandate, which clearly showed that the people were looking forward to a stable polity which will ensure rapid socio-economic development.

Thanking the public for reposing their faith in the National Democratic Alliance through the ballot he said the 1999 mandate reflected the maturity and wisdom of the voter. For the first time since 1984 a clear majority has been given to a contender, he pointed out.

''Free and fair elections are the test of a democracy. It gives me tremendous pleasure that India has one again passed this litmus test with flying colours and re-established our nation's unshakeable commitment to democracy,'' the prime minister said in a statement.

It has been a long campaign and it is now time to settle down so that, ''we can return to address crucial issues faced by the nation,'' he said.

The opposition plays a key role in a democracy and the national interest is served when a government seeks consensus through dialogue with the opposition on key issues and the opposition conducts itself in a constructive manner, Vajpayee said.

UNI

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