National

A Kalam For An Ansari?

With Congress on a complete backfoot, Kalam will be back in the reckoning

Advertisement

A Kalam For An Ansari?
info_icon

The knives are out for UPA after the poll debacle. Outlook has learnt from well-placed sources about a plan to corner the government over the presidential polls with the candidature of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, who graced the office from 2002 to 2007. This project is being mooted by key regional parties and backed by influential lobbies. By floating and then backing Kalam’s name, the plan seeks to embarrass the UPA and to counter the candidacy of vice-president Hamid Ansari with another Muslim.

Even before the assembly poll results were declared on March 6, sources reveal that Mamata Banerjee had informed the top UPA-II leadership that she did not want Pratibha Patil to get a second term, nor did she support vice-president Ansari being elevated to the post. In Mamata’s view, Ansari is “too close to Left parties”. However, since she wanted to back a Muslim, her suggestion was, why not again promote Abdul Kalam for the post?

Advertisement

The Congress, meanwhile, had long given up on the plan of backing a veteran leader from its own ranks like Pranab Mukherjee or even Manmohan Singh. They simply did not have the numbers to push a pure Congress leader to the country’s top constitutional post. Sources reveal that Sonia Gandhi had sensibly decided to make a virtue out of a necessity and back Ansari as she is believed to have a good rapport with the former diplomat.

As the complex electoral college for president stands, the Congress is in no position to get any candidate through who is challenged by other parties. Presuming that the weakened UPA-II survives the budget session, it’ll be rendered quite impotent over the presidential contest. It would have to go with a consensus candidate.

Advertisement

Now imagine what is likely to unfold. Mamata has already floated the Kalam name. Both DMK and AIADMK would be warmer to the idea of backing a person of Tamil origin. Sources reveal that BJD too would give the issue a good thought as it intends to work within a regional bloc in the future. The JD(U) and Akali Dal, both NDA constituents, are game for going along with a man who is seen as a national hero.

But now comes the clincher. Sources say that even before the SP rode to the resounding win in Uttar Pradesh, Mulayam Singh Yadav had made it clear that he too liked the idea of backing Kalam. When Pratibha Patil was opposed by Bhairon Singh Shekhawat five years ago, Mulayam had actually told the BJP to push Kalam again. At that time, Kalam had refused to be in the fray without a consensus.

Sonia Gandhi is believed to be strongly averse to Kalam. But can she push Ansari if the regional parties don’t play along? And the question now is, will Kalam play along? Besides the regional parties having their way, one can only imagine the crowing in the BJP camp were this to materialise, as Kalam was made president by Atal Behari Vajpayee. It would be a big humiliation for the Congress.

Tags

    Advertisement

    Advertisement

    Advertisement

    Advertisement

    Advertisement

    Advertisement