Shimla, July 08: Congress appears to be pulling out all the stops at its brainstorming camp here to project Sonia Gandhi as the Prime Ministerial candidate in the event of a secular coalition replacing the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA. The line of "no compromise on Gandhi's leadership" was taken by senior party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad during discussions by a sub-group on "electoral preparedness", party sources said today.

Azad, heading the sub-group, told the participants that there was need for partymen to make it clear while advocating alliances with secular parties that Gandhi alone could be the leader of such a coalition, the sources said.
Azad's comments set the tone for discussions, which saw some leaders underlining the need for alliances, wherever necessary.

He emphasised that Congress alone has the right to elect its parliamentary party leader and no other party could have any say in the matter, the sources said. Bureau Report