06-19-2007, 02:57 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Cong says no, and it shows its mindset </b>
Pioneer News Service | New Delhi
Analysis
A surprise move by the newly-floated Third Front has injected a new dimension in the presidential contest with<b> Congress forced to formally say "no" to a second term to President Abdul Kalam and its ally DMK facing the predicament of letting down the 'missile man' from Tamil Nadu</b>.
If the Congress choice of Pratibha Patil was a masterstroke, then the Third Front's decision to support a second term for Kalam was a well-calculated gambit. By forcing the Congress to 'shun' a scientist and respectable man like Kalam, the Third Front leaders killed two birds with one stone. <b>They established the Third Front's secular preferences, exposed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's 'Muslim first' assertions, and placed DMK chief M Karunanidhi in a cleft stick.</b>
The last point is specially significant. In the Southern politics where regional sentiments arouse strong passion, the DMK could end up paying a heavy price for deserting Kalam. In a way, Karunanidhi faced a bigger dilemma than Shiv Sena chief Balasaheb Thackeray, who has come under pressure from a section of the party to back Pratibha Patil in the name of Maratha pride. While Pratibha is not seen as a Maratha by many because of her Rajasthan family links, Kalam is a Tamilian.
Secondly, by proposing Kalam's name, the Third Front hopes to question the so-called empathy of the UPA towards the Muslim community. So far, the Congress had been insinuating that the Third Front leaders were hand in glove with the BJP. Now, the Third Front has occasion to gloat over Congress' predicament.
With little hope that Kalam will accept the offer when the Third Front leaders meet him on Wednesday, speculation was rife that the so-called non-aligned group of eight regional parties may field their own candidate. The name of former Tamil Nadu Governor Fatima Bibi was doing the round as a candidate proposed by TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu. However, she was reportedly not too keen on joining the fray because of her old age.
The 'anti-Congress' thrust of AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa, who briefed the mediapersons on the Third Front deliberations, has kept the NDA hope alive. No Third Front leader has categorically ruled out support to Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat or questioned his credentials.
Shekhawat's offer to withdraw from the race if the Congress agreed to support Kalam, is seen as a brilliant tactical move that could come handy for leaders within the Third Front who favoured a direct contest between an 'independent' Vice-President and Congress nominee Pratibha Patil. <b>By supporting Kalam, Shekhawat could silence those who questioned his secular credentials and give reasons for the regional satraps to reconsider their stand.</b>
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Pioneer News Service | New Delhi
Analysis
A surprise move by the newly-floated Third Front has injected a new dimension in the presidential contest with<b> Congress forced to formally say "no" to a second term to President Abdul Kalam and its ally DMK facing the predicament of letting down the 'missile man' from Tamil Nadu</b>.
If the Congress choice of Pratibha Patil was a masterstroke, then the Third Front's decision to support a second term for Kalam was a well-calculated gambit. By forcing the Congress to 'shun' a scientist and respectable man like Kalam, the Third Front leaders killed two birds with one stone. <b>They established the Third Front's secular preferences, exposed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's 'Muslim first' assertions, and placed DMK chief M Karunanidhi in a cleft stick.</b>
The last point is specially significant. In the Southern politics where regional sentiments arouse strong passion, the DMK could end up paying a heavy price for deserting Kalam. In a way, Karunanidhi faced a bigger dilemma than Shiv Sena chief Balasaheb Thackeray, who has come under pressure from a section of the party to back Pratibha Patil in the name of Maratha pride. While Pratibha is not seen as a Maratha by many because of her Rajasthan family links, Kalam is a Tamilian.
Secondly, by proposing Kalam's name, the Third Front hopes to question the so-called empathy of the UPA towards the Muslim community. So far, the Congress had been insinuating that the Third Front leaders were hand in glove with the BJP. Now, the Third Front has occasion to gloat over Congress' predicament.
With little hope that Kalam will accept the offer when the Third Front leaders meet him on Wednesday, speculation was rife that the so-called non-aligned group of eight regional parties may field their own candidate. The name of former Tamil Nadu Governor Fatima Bibi was doing the round as a candidate proposed by TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu. However, she was reportedly not too keen on joining the fray because of her old age.
The 'anti-Congress' thrust of AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa, who briefed the mediapersons on the Third Front deliberations, has kept the NDA hope alive. No Third Front leader has categorically ruled out support to Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat or questioned his credentials.
Shekhawat's offer to withdraw from the race if the Congress agreed to support Kalam, is seen as a brilliant tactical move that could come handy for leaders within the Third Front who favoured a direct contest between an 'independent' Vice-President and Congress nominee Pratibha Patil. <b>By supporting Kalam, Shekhawat could silence those who questioned his secular credentials and give reasons for the regional satraps to reconsider their stand.</b>
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