The Hindu : National : Sonia to stake claim

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, May 14, 2004

National

National

Sonia to stake claim

By K.V. Prasad

NEW DELHI, MAY13. The Congress president, Sonia Gandhi told the media here tonight that the party would stake claim to form a ``strong, stable and secular'' coalition government after the Congress Parliamentary Party elected its leader on May 15.

Interacting with the press after a meeting of the Congress Working Committee, she said, in answer to a question, that it was the normal practice for the leader of the parliamentary party with a majority to stake claim for prime ministership.

She said she would meet leaders of `like-minded' parties tomorrow to explore the possibilities of government formation.

To a specific question whether the single largest party should lead the coalition and whether she would stake claim to form the government, she said: "you will know about it tomorrow".

The Congress which had a pre-poll alliance with parties like the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Nationalist Congress Party, and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-led Democratic People's Alliance, received an offer of support from the Bahujan Samaj Party, whose leader, Mayawati said her only objection would be any major post being given to her bete noire, the Samajwadi Party.

Asked whether the party would await offer of support from the SP or would seek it, Ms. Sonia Gandhi said she would first hold discussions with allies and then see what needed to be done. She added that "we are open to work with all like-minded parties''.

She thanked the people of India for reposing faith in the Congress and its allies. Earlier at the CWC meeting, two separate resolutions were adopted, one expressing gratitude to the Congress president and the other to the people of India.

Later at the press conference, in response to a question from a journalist from Pakistan who sought to know whether the party would continue with the Vajpayee Government's foreign policy, Ms. Sonia Gandhi said: "most certainly''.

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