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Bengal Cong legislators to lobby with PM, Sonia
Bengal Congress MPs and MLAs are planning to meet party president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh soon to lobby for Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee being made the candidate for Presidential elections in July.
The move is aimed to counter Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee’s opposition to Pranab’s candidature for the top post as she has recently made her preference clear for Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar, former Bengal Governor Gopal Gandhi and former President APJ Abdul Kalam.
Also, Congress leaders from the State want to convey that they are for the ‘son of Bengal’ and Mamata should be blamed for coming in the way of the Finance Minister being given the honour.
Congress MPs Deepa Dasmunshi, Adhir Chowdhury and WBCC president Pradeep Bhattacharya are leading the campaign for Mukherjee. However, the move is likely to have tacit support of the Finance Minister, who represents Jangipur in the Lok Sabha.
“We have sought appointment from the Congress president, but the date and time has not yet been fixed. Even though it is for the Congress leadership to decide as to who is made the President, we will convey our desire for Pranab Mukherjee,” a senior MP told The Pioneer on Friday.
This is for the first time that party MPs have decided to openly campaign for Mukherjee, despite the Central leadership repeatedly clarifying that it has not yet decided on any name.
However, Mukherjee’s name - along with Vice-President Hamid Ansari - has been doing the rounds for the top job and there seems to be a wider acceptability for the Finance Minister across party lines. This was evident from SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav’s comment that his party will support to any non-bureaucrat from the UPA.
Pranab has already conveyed to the Congress leadership that he is not interested in contesting general elections in future, and indirectly acknowledged his desire to go to Rashtrapati Bhavan by appreciating its huge well-manicured lawns, which will not require him to take 40 rounds for morning walk, as is his practice now.
However, the Congress has till now remained noncommittal, with party spokesman Manish Tewari saying, “At the risk of being accused of using a straight bat, may I very humbly reiterate that office of the presidency should not be brought in the realm of speculation. As and when consultations are complete and a decision is arrived at, we will communicate the decision to you.”
Bengal Congress MPs and MLAs are planning to meet party president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh soon to lobby for Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee being made the candidate for Presidential elections in July.
The move is aimed to counter Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee’s opposition to Pranab’s candidature for the top post as she has recently made her preference clear for Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar, former Bengal Governor Gopal Gandhi and former President APJ Abdul Kalam.
Also, Congress leaders from the State want to convey that they are for the ‘son of Bengal’ and Mamata should be blamed for coming in the way of the Finance Minister being given the honour.
Congress MPs Deepa Dasmunshi, Adhir Chowdhury and WBCC president Pradeep Bhattacharya are leading the campaign for Mukherjee. However, the move is likely to have tacit support of the Finance Minister, who represents Jangipur in the Lok Sabha.
“We have sought appointment from the Congress president, but the date and time has not yet been fixed. Even though it is for the Congress leadership to decide as to who is made the President, we will convey our desire for Pranab Mukherjee,” a senior MP told The Pioneer on Friday.
This is for the first time that party MPs have decided to openly campaign for Mukherjee, despite the Central leadership repeatedly clarifying that it has not yet decided on any name.
However, Mukherjee’s name - along with Vice-President Hamid Ansari - has been doing the rounds for the top job and there seems to be a wider acceptability for the Finance Minister across party lines. This was evident from SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav’s comment that his party will support to any non-bureaucrat from the UPA.
Pranab has already conveyed to the Congress leadership that he is not interested in contesting general elections in future, and indirectly acknowledged his desire to go to Rashtrapati Bhavan by appreciating its huge well-manicured lawns, which will not require him to take 40 rounds for morning walk, as is his practice now.
However, the Congress has till now remained noncommittal, with party spokesman Manish Tewari saying, “At the risk of being accused of using a straight bat, may I very humbly reiterate that office of the presidency should not be brought in the realm of speculation. As and when consultations are complete and a decision is arrived at, we will communicate the decision to you.”
