Manmohan is our Prime Minister, says party
At the end of a day consumed by the Congress spokespersons trying to control the damage caused by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's audacious suggestions for the presidency, the party managers negotiating behind the scenes, and its leader Sonia Gandhi conferring with colleagues, friends and allies, members of the Congress Core Group went into a huddle.
The Congress' top leaders, who had gathered at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's 7 Race Course residence on Thursday evening, party sources indicated, narrowed down their first choice to Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee — and this was the name that would, in all likelihood, be placed at a meeting of top leaders of the United Progressive Alliance called for Friday. Their second choice is Vice-President Hamid Ansari.
This came after UPA allies, Union Agriculture Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagham (DMK) leader T.R. Baalu met Ms. Gandhi separately to assure her of their parties' support for the Congress candidate. The party has also summoned all UPA Chief Ministers to the capital to prepare them to mobilise legislators. The BJP, too, has called a meeting of the National Democratic Alliance for Friday.
The effort, top Congress sources added, was to announce the name of the UPA's candidate before Dr. Singh leaves on Saturday for the G-20 Summit in Mexico, followed by the climate negotiations in Rio.
A day after Ms Banerjee's googly stunned it into silence, a goaded Congress worked overtime to staunch the bleeding and get back into shape for its next battle — getting its candidate elected President, affirming its faith in Dr. Singh, and sending the message out that the party was in charge of its own fortunes. And though the Congress officially said the Trinamool “was still a UPA ally,” it declared war on its leader, Ms. Banerjee, with senior party functionaries indicating that the two parties could be heading for a divorce.
Ms. Gandhi spent the day holding a series of meetings: her first visitor was Mr. Mukherjee, followed by Defence Minister A.K. Antony, Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram, old party hands R.K. Dhawan and Makhan Lal Fotedar, Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni and party media chairperson Janardan Dwivedi.
What emerged from Ms. Gandhi's conversations with her colleagues was that the party needed to swiftly end the confusion over both Dr. Singh's status and the party's presidential candidate. Wednesday's events had not just caused confusion, but eroded the authority of the Congress president and violated the dignity of the Prime Minister. That impression needed to be corrected.
Around noon, Mr. Dwivedi made it clear that the Prime Minister wasn't going anywhere. “Dr. Manmohan Singh cannot be spared,” he said, adding he would remain the Prime Minister till 2014. He simultaneously rejected the other names suggested for President by Ms. Banerjee and Mulayam Singh Yadav: the former President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, and the former Lok Sabha Speaker, Somnath Chatterjee. He also stressed that there should be some sanctity about a private conversation between two senior leaders, referring to Ms.Banerjee disclosing the names of the Congress' two choices.
If Mr. Dwivedi chose his words carefully, Ms. Soni targeted Ms Banerjee directly, saying her behaviour “doesn't make political or ethical sense,” and showed a lack of courtesy for a man who was heading the government. “Never has there been an instance in which the name of a sitting PM is bandied about like this.” Government sources said Dr. Singh was very upset, and he looked very grim at Thursday's Cabinet meeting.
But while party leaders underscored the fact that Ms. Banerjee's choices would not be considered, the two names that emerged from the discussions Ms. Gandhi had with UPA partners — Mr. Mukherjee and Mr. Ansari — were still on the table.
Mr. Mukherjee, who looked tired at Thursday's Cabinet meeting, also worked the phones, calling up the former West Bengal Chief Minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, and senior CPI(M) leader Biman Bose. Reports suggest he sought the Left support for his candidature.
Somebody please tell me if there is any hidden agenda the president is doing. His job is take representations, ensure smooth functioning and be a respectful inspiring figure (with Pratibha Patil, even those attributes were gone). He has no authority on financial bills and can only once reject any bill for modification. His job is critical on which coalition he would call to prove majority and after controversy last couple of times has been addressed by the court. So why so much fuss on stamp man spending millions and millions and so much time and attention where are people are suffering with hygine, food, security and transport. The cost of living and so poor people living in horrible environment with greedy businessmen grabbing land from poor and corrupt politicians and Govt machinery
Scrap the prez position and instead create a office of constitutional bench with group of constitutional experts + National Human Rights+ Ethics committee together to do vetting of political candidates.
Is India going to survive the onslaught of politicians like bannerji.The seed for modern india was sown by Rajiv gandhi and Manmohansingh and any amount of counter argument will not hold good.Can we get a water connection without bribing a councilor or can we get our registration done in a sub registrar office without greasing the palms of the officials.Those who shout against corruption from housetops are welcome to eradicate this menace.One party govt is the only answer for our country.May be i have linked two separate things here.May wise counsel prevail in the election to the next president.
It will be a disaster if Pranab Mukherjee, the finance minister who leads the Indian economy into ruins become the next Indian President. As he has little concern about the general public, he might try to cross the present president's foreign travel record.
If its Pakisthan and USA, President plays a vital role in the country or nations development. But in India, President is barely RUBBER STAMP is what I or many read from POLITICS books in graduation. Our current President wasted and wasting lots of public money by touring with all of her relatives in a special flights across the globe for 250 days in a year. What is the use if Dr. Singh or who ever elected as president? Common continue to suffer and its political leaders and Rich enjoys his/her election. Congress TOP Leaders of GANDHI FAMILY is causing damage not only to party but also to country.
Did it occur to anyone at The Hindu that the PM himself may be interested in shifting out of a
besieged government, eight years into a job where rampant corruption and economic
contraction are his bed fellows? Five years as the ceremonial Head of State does not sound
too bad a change, perhaps he might even be able to resurrect his diminishing legacy.
I feel, our way of selecting president is flawed. We need to set minimum
criteria like education, criminal record (which I believe is currently
followed) and political views.
I think a politicians should not be allowed to be come the president,
he/she can be at max the PM. The president should be more like a neutral
person and a non politician should get a chance to serve the Nation.
In the idiom of an earlier generation,the word " Ayyampettai" stood for the crafty manipulation
of two mischief makers in invoking an innocent bystander in their game of gains by word,both
fair and foul,draw him into participation and then beat him down to further their own
interest,when the game is up.( No offence meant to the residents of Ayyampettai,please).
One hopes that Dr Kalam is both shrewd and safely distanced to be a victim of this political
Ayyampettai.
Today the Congress is not a politically strong party it once was. Its leadership, which to the members of the Congress party means only Sonia Gandhi and not a group of eminent politicians as in other parties is weak. The "Yes Madam" culture in the party has done it in. Anything like what Mamata did to the party could not have happened in the good old days when things were different.
Selection of the presidential candidate is the primary task of national
parties.Sadly this is not the case this time around with all and sundry
expressing opinion on who should be the president of this great
nation.Politics has taken the back seat.Naturally, the decline started
with Abdul Kalam adorning the post of President of India with no
political background. The post of President is purely political.
If our elect leaders, spend most of the time for damage control and alliance talks, and corruption cases against them and how to win the next election - poor fellas they are. That is why they have absolutely no time to govern, take care of the need of the tax paying common man and people below poverty line struggling for survival.
Why dont we help all these busy - incapable fellase by giving them some break!
For the sake of the nation, let us hope that wisdom prevails on the UPA
and ego not displayed, and a person of stature of Dr.Kalam emerges as a
consensus candidate.
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