Successor has already been finalised: PM

MANDATE 2004/ Personal attacks on Sonia must end now: Vajpayee

For the first time, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had a succession plan, but declined to reveal what it was. "There is a consensus within the party on who will replace me after I go," he told NDTV 24x7 in an interview when asked "will it be LK Advani?," a release issued by the television channel said.

After filing his nomination papers in Lucknow yesterday, Vajpayee denied in the interview that he was contemplating retirement. Asked what he would do after retiring, he said: "I would like to go back to my poetry and my writing".

He called for an immediate end to all personal attacks on Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. "I do not know why senior leaders continue to attack her even when I have asked them not to. This is unfortunate and should not have happened. This must end now." He was replying to a question on what he thought of remarks about Gandhi by BJP leaders like Narendra Modi and Vinay Katiyar.

Asked whether he would push for legislation on the foreign issue as stated in the National Democratic Alliance manifesto, he said: "I think there should first be a national debate. Only then the question of a legislation should arise. If we have a majority in the House, then a legislation should be passed."

The Prime Minister expressed concern over the growing influence of money power in politics. "This is a disease that will destroy public life. If I could help it, I would like to see a law being brought in to ensure that no one who has a criminal record is allowed to contest an election."

Vajpayee said it was he who intervened to deny Dilip Singh Judeo a ticket in the Lok Sabha elections. "It is a setback and a reminder to all of us that India does not only shine. Amidst the glitter, there is darkness. We need to address the area of darkness," he said about the recent stampede in Lucknow.