The Hindu : Front Page : Sushma attacks Pratibha

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jun 19, 2007
ePaper

Front Page

Front Page

Sushma attacks Pratibha

Neena Vyas

NEW DELHI: : It was announced at the meeting of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Monday that the Shiv Sena would make known its decision on the presidential issue on Tuesday.

Some leaders attending the meeting said that the Janata Dal (United) leaders Sharad Yadav and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also wanted to await the Sena decision. Even BJP president Rajnath Singh is reported to have favoured waiting till after the Sena decision.

Dinesh Trivedi of the Trinamool Congress sought time to enable his party to discuss the issue of supporting Mr. Shekhawat, according to the leaders.

However, it seems that Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Jaswant Singh; NDA convener George Fernandes and NDA spokesperson Sushma Swaraj pushed the issue.

Ms. Swaraj later described the UPA candidate Pratibha Patil as “low” in stature, talk of consensus by the UPA as “born out of fear [of defeat]” and the UPA’s argument on empowerment of women as “false”.

“Using the authority given to him earlier by the NDA [to take a decision on the Presidential candidate] Mr. Vajpayee had in advance prepared a statement that was adopted as a resolution at today’s meeting,” Ms. Swaraj said at a press conference. Party leaders privately admitted that unless the Third Front came out in Mr. Shekhawat’s support, victory was unlikely.

There was a gap of almost two lakh votes between the UPA and the NDA. Party managers were worried about the ‘Maharashtrian for President’ sentiment in the Sena and even the dissensions within the BJP ranks in Rajasthan and Gujarat.

Ms. Swaraj was confident that Mr. Shekhawat’s appeal would cut across party lines.

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

Front Page