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Congress sidesteps questions on possibility of Mayawati as PM
New Delhi, Mar 04: Congress today sidestepped questions whether the party was willing to accept BSP chief Mayawati as a prime ministerial candidate of the proposed secular front, saying the proposal was never put forward during various rounds of talks it had with the BSP.
New Delhi, Mar 04: Congress today sidestepped questions whether the party was willing to accept BSP chief Mayawati as a prime ministerial candidate of the proposed secular front, saying the proposal was never put forward during various rounds of talks it had with the BSP.
"I must say with all fairness to BSP that such a proposal was never made by BSP," party's chief spokesman S Jaipal Reddy told reporters when asked to comment on a media report that BSP supremo Mayawati had sought her projection as a prime ministerial candidate to draw votes of dalits.
He also termed as "hypothetical" a question whether the party would accept or support a dalit as prime minister.
On possibility of an alliance with BSP, Reddy said at the moment there was no alliance with any party in UP but party was ready to go it alone in case its efforts in this regard failed.
"We have initiated talks with BSP. Talks are on but it has not assumed any shape. At the moment, there is no tie-up with any party but we are ready to go it alone," he said.
Earlier, speaking to reporters at Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi made it clear that the party was not averse to an alliance with any party in UP but was ready to go it alone if no alliance could be reached.
Samajwadi Party led by Mulayam Singh Yadav has already made it clear that it will not join any front and would contest the coming Lok Sabha polls on its own.
Though Congress leaders are optimistic about "fruitful" outcome about Cong-BSP alliance before the polls, Mayawati, facing corruption cases, has been giving mixed signals about her stand on alliance issue. Bureau Report
"I must say with all fairness to BSP that such a proposal was never made by BSP," party's chief spokesman S Jaipal Reddy told reporters when asked to comment on a media report that BSP supremo Mayawati had sought her projection as a prime ministerial candidate to draw votes of dalits.
He also termed as "hypothetical" a question whether the party would accept or support a dalit as prime minister.
On possibility of an alliance with BSP, Reddy said at the moment there was no alliance with any party in UP but party was ready to go it alone in case its efforts in this regard failed.
"We have initiated talks with BSP. Talks are on but it has not assumed any shape. At the moment, there is no tie-up with any party but we are ready to go it alone," he said.
Earlier, speaking to reporters at Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi made it clear that the party was not averse to an alliance with any party in UP but was ready to go it alone if no alliance could be reached.
Samajwadi Party led by Mulayam Singh Yadav has already made it clear that it will not join any front and would contest the coming Lok Sabha polls on its own.
Though Congress leaders are optimistic about "fruitful" outcome about Cong-BSP alliance before the polls, Mayawati, facing corruption cases, has been giving mixed signals about her stand on alliance issue. Bureau Report