M A I N   N E W S

Congress, Left favour Narayanan
NDA defers announcement of Alexander’s name
Rajeev Sharma
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 9
A delegation of Opposition parties today had a 35-minute meeting with President K.R. Narayanan, requesting him to stand for the second term since the National Democratic Alliance’s likely nominee for the post of President, Mr P. C. Alexander, was ‘unacceptable’ to them even as the NDA today indefinitely postponed its meeting on the issue.

Emerging from the meeting, CPM leader Harkishen Singh Surjeet told newsmen outside Rashtrapati Bhavan that the Prime Minister was coming out with fresh names in the name of consensus. “It is unacceptable to us. We are for consensus but the government is going against the principles of consensus.”

Asked when Mr Narayanan would take a decision, CPM Politburo member Sitaram Yechury said, “Let the NDA announce its candidate”. Samajawadi Party General Secretary Amar Singh said, “I am fully behind the Congress and the Peoples Front. We are together. We will campaign for Mr Narayanan.”

Apart from Mr Surjeet, the delegation included Mr Sitaram Yechury (CPM), Mr A. B. Bardhan (CPI), Mr Manmohan Singh and Mr K. Natwar Singh (Congress), besides Mr Amar Singh.

Earlier, in the day, leaders of Left parties held discussions with Congress President Sonia Gandhi, who also had a meeting with Mr Narayanan in an effort to persuade him to contest.

Meanwhile, the Vajpayee government decided to withhold announcing its support to the candidature of Maharashtra Governor P. C. Alexander till the political crisis in Mumbai is over by June 13.

Well-placed political sources today said the meeting of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) was postponed the third time this evening in view of the political and constitutional dilemma it is facing in announcing its support to Mr Alexander’s candidature for the July 15 presidential election.

If the government and the NDA formally announce their support to Mr Alexander’s candidature, then he would have to resign immediately, particularly in view of the fact that the Vilasrao Deshmukh government in Maharashtra is due to prove its strength on the floor of the house on June 13.

The Centre cannot afford to put a state in limbo, particularly when the state Assembly is due for a test of strength in a few days, sources pointed out. Change of Governor at such a crucial juncture is bound to trigger off a number of uncomfortable questions and may even bring about unwanted legal battles.

To avoid all this, the NDA meeting was postponed today. Sources said though there was no point in holding the NDA meeting tomorrow, even if such a meeting were to be held within a day or two, it might authorise the Prime Minister to take an appropriate decision on the issue.

Officially, the BJP today maintained that the NDA meeting was put off as the party wanted more consultations within the NDA and with the Opposition parties to try forge a consensus. Telugu Desam Party (TDP) supremo and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu gave indications of arriving here tomorrow for more consultations.

Actually, sources pointed out, the move was aimed at buying time in the name of consultations and consensus.

There is ample time for the government to make the formal announcement of its choice for the next President because though the election notification is being issued on June 11, nominations can be filed until June 26.

The Opposition, particularly the Congress, is opposed to Mr Alexander as the next President of the country. The Congress (read Sonia Gandhi) is opposed because it is aware that if Mr Alexander were to become the President, at the time of the next General election, it would give a handle to the BJP to go to masses with a one-line question: “Do you want Christians in the country’s two top posts of President and Prime Minister?”

Meanwhile, last night Opposition leaders, including CPM leader Sitaram Yechury and others, met Vice-President Krishan Kant to probe his mind whether he was willing to be fielded as the presidential candidate of the entire Opposition. But Mr Kant is understood to have refused to do so.

Sources said there was a possibility that the Vajpayee government may support Mr Kant’s re-election as Vice-President, thereby taking care of the pressure exerted by Mr Kant’s well-wisher Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa is also arriving here on June 12 to have consultations with Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on the issue. Mr Vajpayee had spoken to Ms Jayalalithaa on phone about a week ago and she had promised her support to the NDA’s presidential candidate, sources said.