NEW DELHI: Congress (I) president Rajiv Gandhi has said by his. Party’s assessment midterm elections will be held “early next year”.

“But and the but is important that depends on the Bharatiya Janata Party “Gandhi said in a wide-ranging interview to Aveek Sarkar and Mr Vir Sanghvi of “Sunday” magazine.

Gandhi said BJP’s recent statements suggest that the party was really preparing for an election.

“If the BJP is preparing, then the elections could come any time soon. Because if the BJP goes, then this government collapses. That puts a little doubt about the date,” he said.

In the course of his first formal interview since losing power, the Congress (I) leader answered questions about the party’s defeat, his personal style, Bofors, Kashmir, Prime Minister V P Singh, Arun Nehru, Chandra Shekhar and other leading political figures.

Asked whether some members of the Janata Dal government were considering joining the Congress (I), Gandhi said a number of people “have spoken to us”.

“Well, they are not necessarily all ex-congressmen. But no comments on any names”, he said.

To a question whether the Congress (I) was “cultivating” dismissed deputy prime minister Devi Lal and onetime premiership hopeful Chandra Shekhar and whether he would support a government led by the latter, he said “the question hasn’t come to us”.

“There is no need for us to change the view that. we took in December: which was that we would support a Janata Dal government”, the Congress (I) leader said.

He stressed that his party had not voted so far against the Janata Dal in parliament on any substantive issue. “So long as the Janata Dal chooses its own leader whoever that is we will continue the same scheme”.

Questioned about the possibility of a “deal” with Chandra Shekhar, the Congress (I) leader retorted by asking “why should we do a deal with him”.

“How does it benefit us? It doesn’t in any way. We can only lose from doing a deal with him, I’ve always been very clear about that”, Gandhi said.

Gandhi said that V P Singh was perhaps ‘conspiring’ to become prime minister before he resigned from the cabinet in 1987.

Article extracted from this publication >> August 17, 1990