& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Rajiv Gandhi's last interview

’People frustrated as system is not meeting their aspirations’
NEW YORK, May 22 : Minutes before he was killed by a bomb, former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was asked in his final interview if he was afraid of his new. open style of campaigning, reports Reuter,
"What else can I do ?" he replied to New York Times Reporter Barbara Crossette, who rode with him in his car en route to a campaign stop in Sripcrumbudcr.
T campaigned this way before I was Prime Minister. Im not Prime Minister now so I'm campaigning this way again," he said.
A minute or two after stepping out of the bullet-proof car Gandhi was dead, killed by a Kwerful bomb hidden in a uquet of flowers.
All that was left of his body were his head and his feet, still wearing the expensive running shoes he had recently taken to for long days spent campaigning, according to his driver, the first on the scene.
In a dramatic account of Gandhi's last seconds as he walked toward a platform erected for the occasion Crossette wrote: "There was a sudden buret of what sounded like
firecrackers and then a loud boom, an explosion and a cloud of smoke that scattered people all around.
"It was all over in a matter of seconds. The crowd at first froze and then began to stampede."
During the final ride, Gandhi spoke of his fatigue at the seemingly endless campaigning. "At the end (of each day) I am swollen and bleeding or have a cut arm ... There is this cheek pinching. And sometimes in Muslim neighbourhoods they kiss me — you know, one. two, three times."
He spoke about India and where its political turmoil was leading it, Crossette wrote. Although he also agreed that the growth of strong new political parties Indicated a democratic coming of age in India, he had reservations.
T feel these arc the wrong kind of parties," he said, referring to right wing, pro-Hindu groups such as the Bharatiya Janata Party, which has aroused religious passions among Hindus. India's major ity.
"A tremendous frustration is building up 1n the people, which Is causing these swings
from one party to another. They arc frustrated that the system is not delivering, not meeting their aspirations."
Gandhi said he thought his Congress Party had tried to bring the high expectations for India after its independence from Britain "down to a kind of realistic level.
"But we have so much more to do. We have to make the system more efficient."
He said four things were needed in India : "We need education for the woman, the girl child. We need a good job for everybody. We need child and maternal health care. And we need overall economic growth.
The government must act so that the result is family plan nlng, which would follow these things."
Above all he was determined to "kill all controversies over religion," he said.
Asked how he thought he would get on with new Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Gandhi said they had not met and he could not speculate on their relationship.
But he said former President Mohammed Zia Ul-Haq, who was killed In a plane crash in 1988. "could have solved these problems with us."
"We were close to finishing agreement on Kashmir ... and then he was killed." Gandhi said.
He said there was evidence Zia was murdered but would not elaborate, the Times said. Another reporter who was In his car asked If Gandhi thought Indian leaders might be tar Cts as the country took on a rger regional profile. He agreed, but said the Soviet Union was no threat as It had too many problems of its own.
"Arc you talking about the CIA again T Crossette asked. Gandhi smirked in response to the question.