Asian Age Correspondent
New Delhi, 23 April 2012. NCP supremo and Union minister Sharad Pawar has openly pleaded for a a “non-political” person to become the next President. He suggested all parties should initiate a dialogue to find out a consensus candidate on merit who does not have political background. He raised this issue at a time when Parliament will be resuming from April 24 after the break.
Mr Pawar, a key leader of the ruling UPA, has come out with this suggestion against the backdrop of a meeting between Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav’s emissary Kironmoy Nanda, MP, and Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata. They discussed the issue of the presidential election.
In Mumbai, Mr Pawar said on Sunday that a “non-political” person could be an “ideal” choice as the country’s next President.
He also denied that his party had endorsed Mr P.A. Sangma as a possible candidate for the same.
“Both the UPA and the NDA don’t have the required numbers to ensure that candidate of their choice gets elected as the next President. Hence, I feel that a non-political person can be an ideal choice,” Mr Pawar told reporters after inaugurating a girls hostel in Navi Mumbai, an agency report said. He was responding to a question on whether the NCP had suggested the name of party leader and former Lok Sabha Speaker P.A. Sangma as a possible candidate.
“We have a total of 16 MPs and know our limitations. All political parties should initiate a dialogue to find out a consensus candidate on merit who does not have political background,” Mr Pawar said, denying that the party had put forward Mr Sagma’s name. Among the non-political persons whose names are doing the round are vice-president Hamid Ansari, former governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi and Infosys founder N.R. Narayana Murthy.
http://www.asianage.com/india/pawar-none-has-numbers-prez-320
