'I will serve to the best of my abilities, to
give a clean government,' promises Gujral

Inder Kumar Gujral, the United Front's new prime ministerial candidate, has assured the nation that he will endeavour to give it a clean government which would attend to the basic problems of ensuring social justice, preserving secularism and eradicating poverty.

Immediately after his election as the leader of the 14-party Front, Gujral assured the minorities that his government would attach top priority to providing ''fair and equal justice''. He was addressing a press conference on Saturday, April 19.

"I will serve to the best of my abilities to give a clean government," Gujral, external affairs minister in the outgoing Deve Gowda government, said.

He was flanked by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and UF convenor Chandrababu Naidu, Law and Justice Minister Ramakant Khalap and several ministers of the Telugu Desam in the Deve Gowda ministry.

Gujral said as a humble man he considered himself fortunate to serve the nation in the 50^th year of its Independence.

The 78-year-old Gujral, dressed in his familiar navy blue safari, said his government would be run on the ideals which brought Independence to India.

Gujral, who reached Andhra Bhavan around 1800 hours IST, was closeted in the chief minister's cottage with Naidu and Khalap for about an hour before the UF convenor proceeded to the party's headquarters to ratify his selection through consensus.

While the steering committee meeting was in progress at the UF headquarters, Gujral waited for the call to take up the nation's top job.

A beaming Gujral thanked all the leaders of the United Front, especially Naidu, for reposing faith in his leadership.

Gujral said the integrity, which has stood by him in his decades-old political career, would mark his leadership.

He had high praise for the role played by the regional parties in helping to tide over the three-week-old political crisis.

Asked what steps his government would take to tackle the menace of corruption in public life, Gujral said all these matters would be addressed at the appropriate time.

While introducing Gujral at the press conference as the leader of the United Front, Naidu said the country was fortunate to have at the helm of affairs someone like him.