Howrah News Service -  Latest news and headlines on Howrah,West Bengal and World: NCP backs Dr Singh for PM

NCP backs Dr Singh for PM
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NewsByte on 27 March, 2008 04:57:05
 
By Our Special Correspondent
New Delhi, March 27: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), led by Union
agriculture minister Sharad Pawar, on Thursday suggested that Dr Manmohan Singh
should be projected as the UPA’s candidate for Prime Minister in the next Lok
Sabha elections.
"Manmohan Singh must be projected as the UPA’s prime ministerial candidate
because he has functioned in a most democratic manner. He is honest,
transparent, and has a clean image. There is no controversy against him.
Obviously the UPA needs such a Prime Minister," chief NCP spokesman D.P.
Tripathi told a group of reporters here on Thursday.
The NCP is the first of the UPA constituents to express its view on the issue.
But the Congress has been shying away from the matter, saying the issue can be
decided when the elections come.
"Why to speak about the issue now when there is no vacancy," has been the
refrain of Congress spokespersons.
Asked what the NCP thinks about young leader Rahul Gandhi, often projected by
the Congress as a future leader and a potential Prime Minister, Mr Tripathi
remarked, "Let the Congress first take a decision about Rahul. As far as the NCP
is concerned, we offer our best wishes."
Replying to a question, he said the Congress has not yet learnt coalition
culture at the Centre and it was time they learnt from their own experience in
Kerala, where it heads the Opposition United Democratic Front (UDF).
Talking about UDF, Mr Tripathi said in the alliance in Kerala there has been a
coordination committee and mutual consultations and "every ally is respected".
He said in the coming Lok Sabha elections the UPA should contest as the UPA and
the alliance must work collectively.
The NCP leader hoped that alliance constituents like the RJD and DMK would
support Mr Pawar’s views that the alliance should face the Lok Sabha polls
"collectively". Recently, Mr Pawar was all praise for Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh, who he said is "much more democratic", respects all views and wants to
take everybody along.
Asked whether the UPA coalition is working well, Mr Pawar had said,
"Definitely. The Prime Minister and his working is much more democratic. He
encourages full discussions."