Baharaich (UP), March 28
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today suggested India and Pakistan move beyond the current cricket diplomacy to give permanence to the thaw in bilateral relations.
"Jahan pahle bomb se khela ja raha tha wahan ab cricket match khel rahen hain (earlier, we used to play with bombs but now we are playing cricket)," Mr Vajpayee told an election rally here, adding that South Asia was never so peaceful before.
But cricket could not be played 365 days, he said in an obvious reference to the ongoing Indo-Pak series and reminded "we are still fighting terrorism."
"We try to go to the root of terrorist strikes and punish the guilty," Mr Vajpayee said.
Listing the achievements of his government, Mr Vajpayee said the growth rate had touched 8 per cent, foreign exchange reserves were over billions of dollars and there was plenty of foodgrains.
"We want another mandate for taking the country towards full development," he said.
Referring to the proposed inter-linking of rivers, Mr Vajpayee said the project was conceived during the Congress rule but it chose to keep it on the backburner.
“We have taken initiative on the project to tide over problems of drought and floods,” he said.
He said to help facilitate export of agricultural products centres had been set up at a cost Rs 10,500 crore.
— PTI
