New Delhi: Former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had said that the "mistake" in Gujarat was the reason for the National Democratic Alliance's defeat in the 2004 general election, former RAW chief A.S.Dulat has said.

In an interview conducted by Karan Thapar and telecast on India Today TV channel on Thursday, Dulat said Vajpayee admitted Gujarat was a mistake. "You could see the sadness in his (Vajpayee's) eyes," he said.