New Delhi, July 11: Congress today said it was not bothered about BJP raking up the issue of foreign origin of Sonia Gandhi who has been projected the prime ministerial candidate by the party. "Sonia Gandhi is leader and prime ministerial candidate of the Congress since 1998. If they want to rake it up now, they can do so," party spokesman S Jaipal Reddy told reporters when asked to comment on BJP assertions in the matter.
Reddy said that the electoral and coalition arrangements envisaged by the party would be "qualitatively different" from the NDA-led by BJP. He said while BJP had to abandon its "core communal agenda" while forming the NDA, the Congress would go in for such an arrangement conformity to the party ideology so as to advance it and not compromise it.
Reddy sought to ignore the statements of some secular parties over projection of Gandhi as the prime ministerial candidate. "Sonia Gandhi is the chosen leader of the party, but let other parties consider this issue in their own way". Asked to comment on NCP's plans to reconsider its stand on the foreign origin issue, he merely said that the party has noted the implications of the NCP statement.
Reddy was evasive when asked whether the former UP Chief Minister Kalyan Singh in whose tenure the Babri Masjid was demolished, was being seen as a "potential secular ally" by the party.
"I don't want to jump the gun. These are all questions needed to be considered as we go along...... He did play a controversial role. But he is changing. At least we need to watch him. He made many statements which showed he is repentent," Reddy said in reply to questions on Kalyan Singh. Bureau Report