The Hindu : Front Page : Allies authorise Sonia to form government

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, May 17, 2004

Front Page

Front Page

Allies authorise Sonia to form government

By K.V. Prasad

MANY FACES OF GOVERNANCE: The Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, with leaders of parties backing the Congress, at her residence in New Delhi on Sunday. They are (from left) S. Ramadoss, Shibu Soren, Laloo Prasad Yadav, Amar Singh, M. Karunanidhi, Harkishan Singh Surjeet, Jyoti Basu, Sharad Pawar and Ram Vilas Paswan. Among those standing behind are A.B. Bardhan, Vaiko and D. Raja. — Photo: Kamal Narang

NEW DELHI, MAY 16. Sonia Gandhi, leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party, was today chosen by all the supporting parties to lead the next government.

Ms. Gandhi was unanimously "elected" the alliance's prime ministerial candidate at a meeting of the allies and other supporting parties this evening.

Among those present at the meeting held at her 10 Janpath residence were M. Karunanidhi (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam), Jyoti Basu and Harkishan Singh Surjeet (Communist Party of India-Marxist), A.B. Bardhan (Communist Party of India), Laloo Prasad Yadav (Rashtriya Janata Dal), Sharad Pawar (Nationalist Congress Party), Ram Vilas Paswan (Lok Janshakti Party), Mehbooba Mufti (People's Democratic Party), Shibu Soren (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha), K. Chandrashekar Rao (Telangana Rashtra Samiti), E. Ahamed (Indian Union Muslim League), Vaiko (Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam), S. Ramadoss (Pattali Makkal Katchi), Assauddin Owaisi (All-India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen), Amar Singh (Samajwadi Party), Ajit Singh (Rashtriya Lok Dal), Debabrata Biswas (All-India Forward Bloc), K. Francis George (Kerala Congress-Joseph), Ramdas Athawale (Republican Party of India-A) and R.S. Gavai (RPI).

Ms. Gandhi's name was proposed by Mr. Karunanidhi and seconded by Mr. Pawar, Mr. Laloo Yadav and others. The senior Congress leader, Manmohan Singh, announced this after the meeting. Later, Ms. Gandhi hosted a dinner for the leaders of the allies and the supporting parties. The former Prime Minister, V.P. Singh, was also present.

The alliance will now wait for the President to send for Ms. Gandhi to ascertain from her whether she is in a position to form the next government. The President is scheduled to receive the Chief Election Commissioner and the two other Election Commissioners tomorrow morning. They will formally inform the President that the 14th Lok Sabha has been "constituted."

Ms. Gandhi today received letters of support from the CPI(M), the CPI, the NCP, the DMK, the PMK, the MDMK and the RPI(A). Dr. Manmohan Singh firmly indicated that letters of support from others, including the Samajwadi Party, should be "available" by tomorrow.

Today's meeting was a demonstration of the numerical and political support available to a Congress-led secular government. While there is still considerable ambiguity about the parties joining the government, there is little doubt that 300-plus MPs support it. The shape of the government will depend on the Left parties' decision to join it or not.

Dr. Manmohan Singh also said the alliance leaders had agreed on a co-ordination committee, which would have a chairman and a convener. It is understood that the Prime Minister will be the chairperson, who in turn would appoint a convener.

Earlier, Ms. Gandhi and other senior Congress leaders met with the allies to discuss the broad principles of government-formation and the common minimum programme (CMP).

Those who attended the conclave included Mr. Pawar and Praful Patel (NCP), Mr. Laloo Yadav, Mr. Karunanidhi, Mr. Vaiko, Dr. Ramadoss, Mr. Athawale, Mr. Paswan, Mr. Soren, Ms. Mehbooba and Mr. Chandrashekar Rao.

The NCP has already sent in its proposals to the Manmohan Singh panel that is drafting the CMP. The NCP wants special attention for the farm sector and employment generation and to ensuring that profit-making public sector units are kept out of the purview of disinvestment.

Dr. Manmohan Singh said his panel would produce a "working draft," which would then be submitted to the alliance leaders for approval.

UNI reports:

Dr. Manmohan Singh said the Congress would like all constituents to join the Sonia Gandhi-led coalition government, but a decision on accommodating the Samajwadi Party and some others would be taken separately.

``We would like all the constituents to join the government,'' he added.

He declined comment when asked if Mr. Amar Singh and Mr. Ajit Singh attended the meeting in response to an invitation by the Congress. His only reply was that they were present at the meeting.

`SP, RLD were

invited by Surjeet'

PTI reports:

The Samajwadi Party today admitted that it was not invited to the dinner meeting hosted by Ms. Gandhi and said the party and its ally, the RLD, had gone there at the request of Mr. Surjeet.

"I don't lie. We did not have any invitation to take part in the dinner meeting. But we were requested by Surjeet to accompany him there," the SP general secretary, Amar Singh, told Aaj Tak.

Mr. Singh said that he, along with Mr. Ajit Singh, went to Ms. Gandhi's residence because "we did not want our egos to come in the way of the formation of a secular government at the Centre."

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