The present BJP government needs a "Vajpayee touch" to come up with a winning pre-election coalition in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Naresh Gujral has said.

Gujral, who is a Rajya Sabha member from Punjab, was speaking yesterday at the launch of book "Newsman: Tracking India in the Modi Era" written by veteran journalist Rajdeep Sardesai. "The success of the NDA will depend on the kind of pre-election coalition that they are able to stich up. If they are able to carry their existing partners and some more. It is important that the BJP treat their allies with kid gloves. This is where a Vajpayee touch is required.