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BJP core group to meet today; NDA divided over Pranab

NEW DELHI: The BJP core group is meeting here on Saturday to decide on supporting finance minister and Congress veteran Pranab Mukherjee's candidature as next President. 

The meeting comes against the backdrop of Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) allies in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) getting divided over pitching a candidate against Mukherjee, the ruling United Progressive Alliance's choice for the top post. 

While the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) do not want to pitch a candidate against Mukherjee, the Subramanian Swamy-led Janata Party and the Shiv Sena are in favour of bringing an opposition candidate, say sources. 

The meeting will be held at 6 pm at BJP president Nitin Gadkari's residence, a party member confirmed. 

The opposition NDA is scheduled to meet on Sunday to discuss the presidential election. 

Meanwhile, JD-U leader Shivanand Tiwari, talking to mediapersons in Patna, made a pitch for supporting Mukherjee, saying it was his "personal view". 

Sources in the JD-U say that at the NDA meeting, the party leaders will stress on supporting Mukherjee. 

The BJP has been saying that it will not support a Congress candidate. 

The party is in favour of former President APJ Abdul Kalam, whose name was first put forward by Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav. 

Yadav has since backed out. The JD-U too has expressed opposition to supporting Kalam. 

SAD leader Naresh Gujral told reporters on Saturday that the party would not comment on the issue before the NDA meeting. 

"The Akali Dal has been a disciplined ally. We have no personal views," Gujral said, adding that a decision would be taken on Sunday. 

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday called BJP leaders LK Advani, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley and sought the party's cooperation in electing Mukherjee as the next President. — IANS

Mamata debuts on Facebook, seeks support for Kalam

Kolkata: Taking up the campaign for APJ Abdul Kalam online, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee today said her choice of the presidential candidate was the choice of millions of Indians.

Debuting on social networking site Facebook, she wrote in her first post, "I gave voice to what millions of Indians want to see in a President." Refusing to budge from her stand, she said, "My party is a small party. We are not a big party with none of the resources others possess. We are led by truth and conviction.

"All through my life I have stood by my principles. I stand by the position I have taken".

Stating that the will of the people is supreme in a democracy, Banerjee requested fellow citizens to petition their public representatives to stand up, support and vote for Kalam.

"Let your voice be heard. I will bow to the will of the people," she said.

Describing the 'missile man' as a proud and distinguished son of India who continues to inspire all Indians, the chief minister said Kalam remains above narrow politics.

"He is a seeker of truth, a fount of knowledge and an impartial voice of reason and sanity, who is above narrow politics. He is the kind of man all our citizens aspire to make President," Banerjee said.

The TMC chief had joined hands with SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav to propose the name of Kalam. However, the SP later broke away and pledged support to Pranab Mukherjee, leaving the West Bengal Chief Minister totally isolated. — PTI

OSMANABAD (Maharashtra): At least 32 devotees were killed and more than 20 were injured, some of them seriously, when their bus fell off a bridge in Osmanabad district of Maharashtra in the wee hours today.

The victims hailing from Hyderabad were returning after a pilgrimage to Shirdi Saibaba Temple in Ahmednagar district, when the mishap occurred at 2:40 am, the police said.

The injured have been shifted to Solapur civil hospital. The deceased are yet to be identified. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy has expressed grief over the incident and has directed Chief Secretary Pankaj Dwivedi to help those injured.

A team of medical and government officials from Andhra Pradesh has left for the spot to help the injured and make arrangements to coordinate with the Maharashtra state officials, Commissioner, Information and Public Relations R. V. Chandravadan said.

"We need to get more details about the incident and number of casualties," he said.

The victims had boarded the private bus last evening from here.

Meanwhile, anxious family members of the victims rushed to the office of the travel agency which was operating the bus at Lakadi-ka-Pul here to find out the condition of their relatives. — PTI

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today left for a eight-day tour of Mexico and Brazil to attend the G-20 and Rio+20 summits.

Singh will attend the seventh summit of the Group of 20 developed and developing countries(G-20) starting in the Mexican resort town of Los Cabos on June 18 and the Rio+20 Summit in Rio De Janeiro.

The G-20 summit is likely to be dominated by the crisis in Europe, which — combined with slowing growth in China and India — poses a threat to the world economy.

The ongoing European sovereign debt crisis has made it difficult or impossible for some countries like Greece and Spain in the euro area to re-finance their government debt without the assistance of third parties.

The Rio Summit, commencing on June 20, is being held 20 years after the first Earth Summit, a landmark gathering, in a renewed bid to rally the world behind a common environmental blueprint. — PTI

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