The Hindu : NDA has `violated' convention: Gowda

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jun 16, 2002

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National

NDA has `violated' convention: Gowda

By Our Staff Reporter

KOCHI JUNE 15. The National Democratic Alliance has shown disrespect to the Rashtrapati Bhavan by announcing that a second term for the incumbent is against convention, according to the former Prime Minister, H.D. Deve Gowda.

Talking to journalists here after inaugurating the 7th biennial national conference of the All-India Lawyers' Union, he said the NDA had also violated the convention of elevating the Vice-President as President. "This is a secret ploy of the RSS-VHP combine.

The "behind-the-curtain drama" enacted by the BJP-Shiv Sena hardliners had brought down the image of the office of President. The BJP stand had hurt the feelings of the persons who had not volunteered themselves for the post. The BJP first wanted to nominate the Maharashtra Governor, P.C. Alexander, and subsequently dropped the move. Even in the case of nomination of Vice-President, a consensus seemed certain, but the hardliners `prevailed' on the Prime Minister, A.B. Vajpayee, to drop the move, he alleged. Mr. Gowda said that if Dr. Kalam had been nominated first, none would have objected to it, and "all these drama could have been avoided." He alleged that the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Chandrababu Naidu, had prevailed on the Prime Minister against nominating Dr. Alexander because Mr. Naidu's earlier demand to dismiss the Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, was not accepted.

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