The Hindu : 'Decision on Vice-President at right time'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jun 19, 2002

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'Decision on Vice-President at right time'

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI JUNE 18. The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, today asserted that a decision on the choice of candidate for the post of Vice-President would be taken at an "appropriate time".

Mr. Naidu, who was here to propose the candidature of the Presidential nominee, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, said the issue would be discussed later, "let us wait''.

Talking to reporters at Andhra Bhavan here, he refused to react to the reports that with the BJP-led NDA having agreed to field Dr. Kalam as a consensus candidate for the President's post, the BJP was keen that the Vice-President's post be left to it.

Earlier in the day, Mr. Naidu had a meeting with Dr. Kalam before he went to Parliament House to file nomination papers. Dr. Kalam told Mr. Naidu technology should be effectively used to bring about a change in the lives of the people and both discussed the potential for proper application of technology. Mr. Naidu said the nomination of Dr. Kalam was an `inspiration' for the people and the move would have a `tremendous impact'.Asked to comment on the Left parties' Presidential candidate, Lakshmi Sahgal's observation that the nomination of a nuclear scientist to the top post would send "wrong signal", Mr. Naidu said that while that could be the view of the Left parties, the assessment was not correct since the country's had a clear foreign policy.

During his day in the Capital, Mr. Naidu had a brief interaction with the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, when he urged that the Centre use the Rs. 29 crores accrued from the cess for market intervention in tobacco and raise the import duty on silk yarn which had been lowered during the last few years.

In a separate meeting with the Defence Minister, George Fernandes, the Chief Minister sought the release of the first tranche of Rs. 50 crores for the extension of the Visakhapatnam airport and the relocation of a defence institution near the proposed Hyderabad international airport.

Mr. Naidu took up the issue of reimbursement of funds for setting up fast track courts with the Union Law Minister, Arun Jaitley. He also met his Orissa counterpart, Naveen Patnaik, and urged that he intervene to sort out two pending irrigation projects between the two States.

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