The Hindu : Sonia is our prime ministerial candidate, says Congress

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 30, 2003

Front Page

Front Page

Sonia is our prime ministerial candidate, says Congress

By K.V. Prasad

NEW DELHI DEC. 29. The Congress appears to have closed the door its president, Sonia Gandhi, had opened on Sunday in Mumbai. The party spokesperson asserted here today that Ms. Gandhi would be its prime ministerial candidate. Also, the issue of who should be heading the proposed anti-Bharatiya Janata Party alliance would be decided after talks among the constituents, he added.

The stand came a day after Ms. Gandhi's comment in Mumbai that it was for the people to decide on the issue. The party ruled out extending support to any "third front," while stating that it agreed with the assessment of the senior Marxist leader, Jyoti Basu, that there was neither space nor scope for such a formation.

"She is the leader of the Congress and it is for the alliance to think over the issue," the Congress chief spokesperson, S. Jaipal Reddy, said. He said that parties, which proposed to join the secular front being forged by the Congress, should make their choice of leaders known.

Declining to elaborate on what Ms. Gandhi's statement meant, he said that just as the party did not impose its choice on other parties on who should be their leader, the Congress expected of them not to impose their likes or dislikes on it.

Asked whether the Congress would stake its claim to lead the alliance in the event of its emerging as the single largest party, he said the issue could be settled by the constituents through talks.

On the proposed anti-BJP front that the Congress is working on, he said the party was holding talks with all secular parties before firming up a formation. The party is anxious to "maximise unity" among secular parties and is making exploratory efforts.

However, indicating flexibility, Mr. Reddy said the Congress was running coalition governments in Maharashtra, Bihar and Jammu and Kashmir. In Maharashtra, it was running the Government with the Nationalist Congress Party, formed even after its chief, Sharad Pawar, raised the issue of Ms. Gandhi's foreign origin.

The Congress was now in search of allies in Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh, he added.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page

News Update

Stories in this Section

MDMK quits NDA

Doors open to all except BJP, says Karunanidhi

Sonia is our prime ministerial candidate, says Congress

Use SAARC to resume dialogue: Pakistan

Another engineer dies

There's a lesson for Tendulkar in Ponting's success