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Vajpayee confirms Advani, Joshi wanted to resign

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today informed the Rajya Sabha that three members of his council -- Home Minister L K Advani, Human Resource Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi and Minister of State for Tourism Minister Uma Bharati -- had expressed their desire to resign but he had not accepted their offer.

Vajpayee was responding to the demand by Opposition members during zero hour that he must take the House into confidence about the reported resignations of two senior ministers.

The prime minister said their offer was oral and it was rejected. The matter should end here. He also clarified that he had not made any statement on the issue in the Lok Sabha. He said some mediapersons had asked him if two senior Cabinet ministers had resigned. ''Responding to their query, I said they had offered to resign but their offer has been rejected.''

Vajpayee agreed with the members that if the ministers had resigned, and their resignations accepted, it would have been incumbent upon him to take Parliament into confidence. But since nothing had happened there was no need for him to come to the House for any clarification.

Vajpayee added that a third minister, Uma Bharati, too had expressed her desire to resign.

He, however, ignored pleas by Opposition members to divulge reasons cited by Advani and Joshi while offering to resign.

UNI

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