Upset over Mamata turnaround, BJP says regional parties could soon set national agenda

New Delhi, July 18 (ANI): An upset Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday took potshots at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her decision to vote for UPA nominee Pranab Mukherjee in the 2012 presidential race, saying it seemed that regional parties could soon be setting the national agenda.

" Mamatadi has decided to support the (UPA) presidential candidate. But one aspect, which one can assess and it disturbs, is that it seems that the regional parties would henceforth, or rather, they are setting the national agenda," said BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy.

"I believe, it's almost a musical chair now, and there aren't many reasons why sans-political ideologies, sans-political stands, political leaders are taking decisions," he added.

Rudy also criticized the ruling Congress Party, the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party ( BJP) for joining hands with each other for the presidential election.

"Even if you look at Uttar Pradesh, where the BSP, Samajwadi Party and the Congress had all contested against each other, and now they have all come forth together to support the presidential candidate," said Rudy.

"So, politics is today more or less, it remains focused on regional aspirations and the worst is yet to come, when the regional parties will decide all the national agenda. And this is what the country has to decide in future," he added.

Banerjee broke her silence on the presidential election last evening, and announced that her Trinamool Congress will vote for Pranab Mukherjee for President of India.

"We took a unanimous decision for the larger interest of the coalition dharma and state. We will support Pranab Mukherjee," she said.

Banerjee said she does so reluctantly, and only because she does not want her party's votes to be wasted via an abstention.

"Had A P J Abdul Kalam been a candidate, we would have voted for him. It is our misfortune that a person of his stature didn't have the support of all political parties. After that, it was only about two candidates - Pranab Mukherjee and PA Sangma," Banerjee told media after the Trinamool Congress Parliamentary party meeting in Kolkata.

"So, the choice before us really is either to abstain or to vote. We have nearly 50,000 votes in the presidential elections," she added.

Pranab Mukherjee will lock horns with former Lok Sabha speaker P.A. Sangma in the Raisina Hill race. The presidential election will be held on Thursday.

Sangma enjoys the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Biju Janata Dal and the AIADMK. (ANI)