 asks Cong to build consensus on candidate "Pin It")
CPI(M) on Thursday asked the Congress to take the initiative in building a consensus on the candidate for the Presidential election though it indicated it was not averse to supporting either Vice President Hamid Ansari or Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee for the post.
Party MP and politburo member Sitaram Yechury said the Left parties would discuss the Presidential Election issue at their meeting tomorrow.
“Election of the President with consensus is in the country’s favour but if there is no consensus then elections will be held...It is the responsibility of the ruling party to evolve a consensus on the issue. They should take initiative and try to build consensus,” he told reporters here.
Mr. Yechury noted that when A P J Abdul Kalam was fielded in 2002, the Left had nominated Lakshmi Shegal as there was no consensus.
To a question on Left’s stand on probable candidates like Mr. Ansari and Mr. Mukherjee, he said if the Congress has narrowed it down to two names, then Left would like to see on whose name there is consensus.
“That is the best approach. As far as Mr. Hamid Ansari is concerned, the Left had proposed his name for Vice Presidentship last time. As far as Mr. Pranab Mukherjee is concerned, the name was doing rounds last time also and we said we have no objection,” he said.
“The point is not that where we stand, the point is on whose name there is consensus,” Mr. Yechury said.
Keywords: President polls, Congress, Left parties, Opposition, Consensus
The canny UPA,as its wont, has pressed the button of 'divert call'in the elections for President .The canvassing of the ruling party for Presidential election, without naming its candidate,is not only a pulse reading excercise but also to push the scams embarassing it, to the back burner. No doubt,Congress can revel over the turn of events thanks to the fissures noticed in BJP. With the present trend, Congress may be optimistic of the dividends in the ensuing elections. It may be hopeful that the scams like 2G, CWG, Adarsh and its sagging popularity as evidenced in the recent elections, willelude the memory of our voters.Shri Yechury's point of view is correct. It hits rightly at Congress's game plan staged without naming the one in the race, who is none other than the constitutional head of India. Is not the precedence a total disgrace to the constitution as such?
Will the CPM ever have a firm stand on matters such as these? In 2002 it fielded Capt. Laxmi Sehgal agaist Dr. Kalam. Why then the party was not supporting Dr. Kalam, who later proved to be one of our best Presidents? The sooner Marxist party learns not to be a "Cattle Egret" eating insects on and around the Congress, the better for itself. The talks of consensus and suporting Dr. Ansari or Mr. Pranab is only to help congress at the cost of BJP. With congress already having wildly kicked on the butt of the CPM, one is at a loss to understand as to why the party has still not learnt its lesson.
CPM will support a congress nominee if there is consensus. Even if there
is no consensus,CPM will support congress nominee against a NDA
candidate.Even when most of the parties supported Dr APJ Abdul Kalam in
2007,CPM did not honour the national sentiment.
Thats a good strategy. wait n see who prevails and then support. why
are they still stick around in politics is just because there are some
hopeless people in India who want to see what better they can do. These
people are also failing people.
While there is no doubt that candidate proposed by Congress party is bound to make way to Rashtrapathy Bhavan, it would be proper to elect a consensus candidate in the national interest.
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