National

War of words over Presidential race

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI MAY 31. The non-NDA political parties are unhappy that the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, is "trying to manoeuvre" the incumbent President, K.R. Narayanan, out of the Presidential race, while the BJP is maintaining that it would still want to work out a consensus though it was not averse to a contest.

There was an all-round feeling that the manner in which Mr. Vajpayee's conversation with Mr. Narayanan on Thursday was leaked out did not enhance the dignity of the either of the two constitutional offices. Given the fact that Mr. Narayanan has not, so far, sought the NDA's support, it was nothing short of a "Prime Ministerial snub" for the President.8.18P

However, the BJP leadership was quick to deny the suggestion of any "impropriety." The party president, Jana Krishnamurthy, asserted today that all that the Prime Minister was trying to do was to convey the NDA's affirmation of a convention (that no President should get a second term). Mr. Vajpayee is likely to go through the motion of consulting the Opposition, though the BJP also made it clear that the onus was on the opposition parties to avoid a contest by not insisting on a second term for Mr. Narayanan.

According to Mr. Krishnanmurthy, it was the Congress that had upped the ante by approaching Mr. Narayanan and then announcing that the President had "an open mind''. The Congress president, Sonia Gandhi's, journey early this week to the Rashtrapati Bhavan invoked "partisan and bitter memories of another journey" (on April 21, 1999) when she made her famous "we have 272'' statement.

The Congress rejects the charge, though in private many leaders believe that it was rather "tasteless'' of the ruling establishment to have gone about advertising the President-Prime Minister communication. Moreover, AICC sources insist that at no stage in his consultations with the Opposition leaders did the Prime Minister invoke the "convention''. A section of the AICC establishment wants to wait for Mr. Narayanan to make up his mind whether he wants to enter the fray; there are serious doubts among Congress leaders that faced with the prospect of a contest, Mr. Narayanan may prefer to opt out.

The CPI (M) also repeated the Congress charge of bad faith on the BJP's part. In a statement, the party's politburo noted: "It is noteworthy that the Prime Minister did not suggest any name for the Presidentship when he met leaders of the Opposition parties. The BJP game plan seems to be first exclude Mr. Narayanan and then push through their nominee. There can be no consensus possible with such a gambit.'' The All-India Forward Bloc expressed the view "it was not averse to supporting Mr. Narayanan if a national consensus is arrived at his re-election''; but, it also added that "the post of President of India should not be based on narrow political interests or caste or religion. We need a President who is above politics and he must be chosen through national consensus particularly when the country is facing multifaceted crisis from internal and external evil forces. We need a President who acts as a watchdog and protects the interest of the common masses.''

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