Congress rejects TMC-SP choices, says Manmohan Singh will remain PM till 2014

New Delhi, June 14 (ANI): Rejecting the Trinamool Congress (TMC)-Samajwadi Party (SP) choices for the President's post, Congress spokesperson Janardhan Dwivedi on Thursday said that Manmohan Singh will remain Prime Minister till 2014.

"Manmohan Singh will stay prime minister till 2014. We cannot afford to spare Manmohan Singh," Dwivedi told media here.

Dwivedi also said that the names of former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee and former President APJ Abdul Kalam as proposed by Mamata and Mulayam were not acceptable to the Congress.

He further said that Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Vice-President Hamid Ansari were the party's preferred choices and would continue to remain so.

Lashing out at TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, Dwivedi said: "Names come up during discussions and there is sanctity to close door talks. Mamata should not have announced the details of the meeting in public."

Banerjee and SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav have announced the names of Manmohan Singh, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and Somnath Chatterjee as their preferred choices for the July 19 presidential poll.

"Our first choice for president is APJ Abdul Kalam, the second choice is PM Manmohan Singh and third choice is Somnath Chatterjee," said Mulayam after meeting Mamata.

The latest developments appear to be a major blow for the ruling Congress Party, as both Mamata and Mulayam have rejected the names of Mukherjee and Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari.

Mamata, who met Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday, remains non-committal over the UPA chairperson's suggestion, saying she would revert on the issue after discussing it with her Trinamool Congress colleagues.

"I had a detailed discussion with her. Sonia Gandhi told that Pranab Mukherjee is first choice for President and the second choice is (Vice-President) Hamid Ansari," she told media.

Banerjee also said that she had told Gandhi that she would go back and discuss with her Trinamool Congress colleagues and revert on the issue.

Trinamool Congress, with 19 members in the Lok Sabha, is the largest constituent of UPA after the Congress. On the other hand, the Samajwadi Party, which has 22 members in the Lok Sabha, is an outside supporter of the ruling alliance.

A fresh round of consultations on the issue of selection of a presidential nominee is taking place in the UPA, after the Congress Working Committee (CWC) authorised Gandhi to decide on the candidates for the coming presidential and vice presidential elections.

Gandhi has so far held discussions with DMK chief Karunanidhi, NCP leader Sharad Pawar and RLD chief Ajit Singh on the presidential candidate. (ANI)