New Delhi, June 19
President-in-waiting A.P.J. Abdul Kalam today put to rest all doubts over his political acumen to deal with crises saying that as President, he would handle any crisis in consultation with constitutional experts.

“Any crisis when it happens, President has to analyse, come to a real and right conclusion as to what the people actually needed...The priority before the President as custodian of the Constitution is that he should analyse the situation taking the view of the government and constitutional experts,” Dr Kalam said. He was replying to a question on how he would handle political issues like the Ayodhya one, at a crowded press conference here. Dr Kalam further said, “I have worked with six Prime Ministers in the last 10 years... After the election, the intensity of work with the political system will increase and I will learn.”

Reacting to the charge levelled by his Left party rival, Capt Lakshmi Sahgal, that his election as President at this juncture would send a “wrong signal”, the “missile man” asserted that he had core competence in technology and the “right signal is that technology is going to be used to develop the nation.”

Pointing out that he had for 20 years worked as a scientist in different areas like putting satellites in orbit and developing nuclear technologies, Dr Kalam said his main focus was how to transform India into a developed nation. He was addressing the first press conference, after the filing of his nomination papers for the July 15 Presidential poll yesterday.

Replying to a volley of questions on the recent violence in Gujarat, Dr Kalam said, “What happened in Gujarat is very painful. We should prevent it at all costs.” Dr Kalam, however, parried questions on the handling of the situation in riot-torn Gujarat by Chief Minister Narendra Modi and imposition of President’s rule in the state.

Asked whether he felt that Gujarat violence was a “blot” on the country, Dr Kalam said, “I can only say that we should try whether religion can graduate into spiritualism.... managers can graduate into leaders and political leaders turn into political leaders with compassion.... And the education system work towards 100 per cent literacy.”

On the current Indo-Pak tension, he said it was a “very sensitive” issue and the Prime Minister had already stated that the government was in “full control” of the problem and “I would not like to discuss it further.”

Asked whether India had lost its traditional military and strategic advantage it had over Pakistan with that country becoming a nuclear state, Dr Kalam said the recent skirmishes had shown that if India did not have a nuclear deterrent, a war would have taken place.

“This nuclear deterrent on both sides has prevented the two countries engaging in a big war,” he said, adding that this averted a nuclear war.

Asked whether the country had an adequate safety mechanism in its nuclear programme to ensure that Chernobyl-like disasters did not take place, Dr Kalam said, “Our nuclear record is very good” and the safety standard was well in place.

On the country’s nuclear doctrine, the missile man spoke about the no-first use principle. This meant that the nation which had got the strength would declare that it would never be the first to use the nuclear weapon, he said.

On minimum deterrence, he said this depended upon what India’s adversaries would have in future. The government has already declared a moratorium on nuclear tests, he said.

Replying to a question whether a man who had been instrumental in making weapons of mass destruction, could be in a position as saviour of the poor and the nation, Dr Kalam said, “Why are you worried about the country having a few nuclear weapons? If you are very particular, you should worry about the 10,000 nuclear warheads across the Atlantic.”

He said national security and national development were inter-related and security could not be strong if it was not matched by economic development.

To another question, Dr Kalam said even after being elected as President, he would endeavour to use science as a tool for the development of the country.

Dr Kalam, who replied to a majority of the questions with a philosophical note, recalled that as a high school student leader, he was asked on August 15, 1947 to gather 800 students to be present at midnight when the country achieved freedom from British rule.

Marking the historic moment, Pt Jawaharlal Nehru unfurled the Tricolour and spoke in Hindi and English. “At that time, I did not understand both since my mother tongue was Tamil.”

The next day, he saw two photographs in newspapers. While one showed Nehru unfurling the Tricolour, the other depicted Gandhiji walking barefoot in riot-hit Noakhali district. “The second photograph changed my life, “ he said, adding, “We have to develop leaders with compassion.”

Earlier, Dr Kalam was escorted into the press conference venue — Vital Bhai Patel House — by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pramod Mahajan.

“Smile does not cost anything” was the first message Dr Kalam gave to the host of mediapersons gathered for his first interaction with the national media.

In his initial remarks, Dr Kalam said he felt “humbled” when he was nominated for the presidential elections and described the top post as “an integrated aspiration of the people”. He said, “I will definitely contribute in the nation’s vision of prosperity and security”. He said his message to the youth of the country was: “Transform the nation into a developed nation”.