From Jal Khambata

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Monday
declared that he wants to sort out all disputes with Pakistan
through talks as "three wars are enough and there is no choice
except talks." He said: "Whatever may be the issue, we are ready
for talks."

Both India and Pakistan now being Nuclear nations, they have no
option except to live together and as such the nuclear arms have
proved to be a blessing as a help (sahayak) in peace in this era
of cold war, Vajpayee said in the Lok Sabha while winding up a
two-day debate on a motion of thanks to the President for his
address to the joint session of Parliament.

Referring to his Lahore trip, the Prime Minister said the
declaration he signed with Nawaz Sharif called for joint fight
against all kinds of terrorism and as such he told Sharif that
his government must stop the terrorist entering Jammu and
Kashmir from its borders.

Vajpayee hoped that the new relationship between the two
countries will soon auger in a relaxed visa system and release
of prisoners and particularly the fishermen of the two countries
arrested for venturing into each other's sea territory. Not
forgetting some of the Indian army officers still languishing in
Pakistan's jails, he said: "Ladai ke jamaane ke kaidi bhi hain;
saare mamle vichar kar unki rihai hona chahiye." (There are
prisoners since the time of war who should also be relased after
considering all aspects.)

He was quite enthusiastic in pointing out that all international
attempts to isolate India after the Pokharan blasts failed and
even the economic sanctions clamped on the country did not
affect the Indian economy. That alone was the strength of the
Indian economy, he affirmed.

In this context, Vajpayee referred to the Pakistan Prime
Minister wanting to know from his why India carried out the
Pokharan blasts on a particular date. It was certainly chosen as
the most opportune time but asked why he was asking this
question, Sharif told Vajpayee that the Pokharan blasts came
when Pakiswtan's foreign exchange was the lowest. Pakistan had
to follow suit and that only plunged it into a financial crisis
from sanctions which did not affect India much, Vajpayee said.

NEW AGRICULTURE POLICY:  The Government is giving final touches
to a new agriculture policy and a new crop insurance scheme
which will guarantee compensation to all farmers hit by natural
calamities and not to only those insuring their crops and that
too covering a very large number of crops right from this year's
Kharif season.

Vajpayee announced this in the Lok Sabha in the course of
winding up the two days of debate. He also announced that a
Cabinet sub-group was examining a new family planning document
recommending incentives and disincentives which he hopes to be
out soon.

ATTACKS ON CHRISTIANS:The Prime Minister also referred to
incidents of attacks on the Christians in Gujarat and Orissa and
warned that there were "elements in the world who may take
political advantage of such incidents and hence we should not
give them that opportunity."

Wherever incidents have occured in Gujarat (where the BJP
government is in power), the culprits have been arrested and the
court cases instituted against them, but it was regretting that
the main culprit in the burning of the Australian missionary was
not yet nabbed, Vajpayee said.

The population growth rate has fallen from 2.1 to 1.85 per cent
but yet 1.70 crores were added to India's population every year
which was a matter of concern, Vajpayee said. He also stressed
that those states effectively bringing down population growth
should not be penalised by lesser number of Lok Sabha seats or
lesser money from the Centre.

The Prime Minister chose to specially refer to the speech of
Prof Saifuddin Soz in which he had exploded the myth that
the government of Jammu and Kashmir was not promoting family
planning.

While the Cabinet has already given approval in principle for
the new crop insurance scheme, the specialists' advice was being
obtained on the new agriculture policy to be placed before
Parliament soon, Vajpayee said.

SELLING INDIA: He also criticised the Opposition accusing his
government selling India's interests cheap hrough disinvestment
of the public sector undertakings(PSUs). Who can sell the great
Indian nation and who can buy it, he asked while pleading for
unanimity among all the parties to see that no more PSUs fall
sick. He wants revival of maximum PSUs and quick implementation
of the voluntary retirement of workers where the revival was not
possible.

Vajpayee indicated that he would soon convene a meeting of all
prominent political and labour leaders to examine how the PSUs
have become a "ghate ka sauda." (business of losses). Pointing
out that he was among those who had hailed Jawaharlal Nehru for
the PSUs, he regretted that as many as 104 of the 236 PSUs were
either sick or running in losses totalling Rs 41,264.55 crores.
The highest loss-making PSU was the Fertiliser Corporation of
India while the profit of all the PSUs put together today was
hardly anything if the PSUs in the oil industry are kept apart,
Vajpayee added. END.
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ITEM 2 (A SMALL BOX)

NEW DELHI: Disturbances by CPI-M leader Somnath Chatterjee and
other opposition leaders when Prime Minister Atal Bihari
Vajpayee was speaking on the President's address motion prompted
BJP member Chamanlal Gupta quip :"Inko taklif to hai ki
Vajpayeeji PM kaise ban gaye." (His problem is that how did
Vajpayee become the PM)

Somnathbabu shot back: "It was an accident."

Vajpayee himself transformed into making witty repartees to
interrupters towards the end of his half an hour speech so much
so that when Trinamul Congress leader Mamta Bannerjee wanted him
not to finish without commenting on her West Bengal demands, he
quipped: "Vahto hum aapko Calcutta mein aakar batayenge." (That
I will tell you in Calcutta) END.
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