Sharad Yadav, Janata Dal (United) chief, tells Gyan Varma if the UPA had discussed Pranab Mukherjee's nomination for Presidential election before announcing his name, the NDA would not have put up its candidate against the former finance minister.
Why has the JDU decided to support United Progressive Alliance's nominee Pranab Mukherjee in the Presidential election, instead of former Lok Sabha Speaker P A Sangma who is the official nominee of its alliance partner, the Bharatiya Janata Party
There should be no confusion on this matter. We strongly believe the UPA's wrong policies are responsible for the poor condition of the country. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh -- the driver of governance in the country -- and his entire Cabinet, are equally responsible. The Cabinet, which includes former Finance Minister Mukherjee, is responsible for the problems being faced by the Indian economy.
But the top office of President of India is a constitutional post. I feel in 2014, the political scene of the country will not be very different from what it is today. So, we believe a person close to Indian politics -- one who knows the country -- should be made the President.
Mukherjee has been in politics for 40-45 years in New Delhi. He is the senior-most leader of the Congress; he is also the leader of the party in Parliament and above all, he is a politically sharp person. I am not supporting the economic decisions taken by him, and there is no difference between Mukherjee and others in the UPA for taking those wrong economic decisions. So, it is not right to think we are backing the UPA by extending our support for Mukherjee.
We were ready to support former President A P J Abdul Kalam, but he did not agree to contest the election. It is true if Kalam had contested, Opposition parties would have gained political mileage out of it. But, when he announced his decision against it, other political parties took their independent decisions. Even Shiv Sena -- another NDA (National Democratic Alliance) ally supporting Mukherjee -- was ready to back Kalam.
I don't see a point in supporting others, when Mukherjee is going to win. We had supported Bhairon Singh Shekhawat in the last Presidential poll, and we did not gain anything out of it -- instead it went against us. So, we were clear from the beginning.
But Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik were not ready to withdraw their support for Sangma. During our discussions with Jayalalithaa, she made it clear that she would continue backing Sangma, and not Kalam. And, why just us, all the three political fronts are divided on the Presidential election -- there is division in the UPA, the Left and the NDA.
But the divide is not new in Indian politics. During the United Front, Shiromani Akali Dal had supported former President Giani Zail Singh. Similarly, Shiv Sena had supported President Pratibha Patil the last time, as she is from Maharashtra. Hence, it is wrong to conclude there are differences between the NDA partners.
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