29 May 2002

CONG TO FIGHT FOR NARAYANAN'S PRESIDENCY

From Jal Khambata

NEW DELHI: The Congress has gone on record now: it wants K R Narayanan to continue in the Rashtrapati Bhawan for another five years.

It was just holding back public declaration of its choice to confirm first from Narayanan if he were ready for the second term and hence it withheld its stand when the left parties called for re-electing Narayanan.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi called on Narayanan on Tuesday and returned satisfied that he does not want to retire.

And, so party spokesman Anand Sharma went on record on Wednesday at the AICC Press briefing to declare: "The Congress is in favour of second term to Narayanan and he told the Congress President that he has an open mind."

He went on further to state that "Narayanan has been excellent President and the Congress President has extended the Congress support to him" during their Tuesday meeting.

The Congress is now itching for a fight with the Government if the latter says "no" to Narayanan and fields anybody else.

Sonia Gandhi is reported to have persuaded Narayanan not to back out even if there is a contest, telling him how the number game is in his favour.

The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) certainly have a majority in the Lok Sabha but the electoral college of the President is not confined to just the members of the Lok Sabha.

The voters are MPs of both the Houses of Parliament and MLAs of all the states and so the Congress is confident that it being in power in 14 states and the left parties in two states besides the Opposition in majority in the Rajya Sabha, the government candidate is bound to lose.

Anand pointed out that the Prime Minister has not yet officially communicated any name to Sonia Gandhi but the "inspired reports" circulated by the official circles after their last meeting show the government's intent. Obviously, he was indicating that the Government is unhappy with Narayanan and so it has been floating the name of Maharashtra Governor P C Alexander.

All the same, the Congress has now opened its card by backing Narayanan and it now awaits the Government to show its hand before stating anything on record on a contest for the highest post in the country. The BJP is officially not saying anything, pleading that the decision has to be taken by the NDA as a whole and not by one party.

And, if the President's post is to become a matter of confrontation, so will it be the post of the Vice-President as well. So far, Vice-President Krishna Kant has, however, not found any side, either Government or Congress, pressing for the second term to him. END