Left for heavyweight candidate to take on Shekhawat

New Delhi, June 3 (UNI) The Left parties today favoured fielding External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee as the UPA presidential candidate saying he is a very strong and a formidable candidate to take on and defeat Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, most likely to be a non-UPA nominee.

The top leaders of the CPI(M), CPI and Forward Bloc said the other names doing the rounds including those of Mr Sushilkumar Shinde, Shivraj Patil and Dr Karan Singh were in no way comparable to Mr Mukherjee when the Left criteria is applied to elect the new occupant of the Rashtrapati Bhawan.

The Left leaders' observation comes close on the heels of UPA's major ally-- DMK chief M Karunanidhi conveying to the Congress leadership that only a formidable candidate put by the alliance could thwart the challenge thrown by Mr Shekhawat and left no choice for the Congress but to field Mr Mukherjee, considered a heavyweight by everyone.

Significantly, CPI(M) patriarch and former West Bengal chief minister Jyoti Basu recently said that his party could not support any candidate sponsored by a ''communal party''. Mr Basu made this remark when Mr Shekhawat called on him in Kolkata and sought his support.

The sources insist that the Left have already conveyed to UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi about their choice even though the Left leaders have been insisting that no specific names were discussed during their meeting with Ms Gandhi.

In separate interviews to UNI, the Left leaders also talked about their opposition to the government's move to allow FDI in multi-brand retail in selected sectors and the necessary steps the Central government and the Rajasthan government should take to contain violence in the state.

CPI(M) veteran and polit bureau member M K Pandhe said, ''Mr Shekhawat cannot be allowed to win. For that the Congress and the UPA will have to field a strong candidate like Mr Mukherjee to take him on and win the most crucial election since the UPA came to power three years back." On the other proposed names, Mr M Pandhe said they might not be that formidable compared to Mr Mukherjee. ''Besides, Mr Shekhawat is expert in garnering votes from within the UPA ranks.

You know it happened when he contested for the post of the Vice President five years back and split as many as 57 votes from the rival camp.'' Endorsing Mr Karunanidhi and Pandhe's viewpoint, CPI National Secretary D Raja said after the Manmohan Singh government assumed power in 2004, this is the most crucial polls. ''The UPA will have to win this. For that the UPA candidate has to be a person with a political background, great integrity, steeped into secular values, know the Constitution of the Republic and can fine balance betwen the executive and judiciary.'' ''There are no two opinions about Mr Mukhrjee being a strong and formidable condidate,'' Mr Raje said.

Expressing similar view, Forward Bloc leader G Devrajan emphasised that compared to all other candidates doing the political rounds in the Congress circles, ''Mr Mukherjee is the most suitable to defeat Mr Shekhawat.'' Mr Devrajan, said the natural choice fell on Mr Mukherjee as seen from the present objective conditions and particularly in an era when coalition politics is going to stay for long in the country and the regional parties are staging comeback on the national political scenario.

On the government's move to allow FDI in the multi- brand retail in selected areas like the household appliances, professional and sports goods, the Left leaders said in one voice that they would oppose any such move as this is fraught with the danger of loss of livelihood of over 40 million petty shopkeepers and traders.

On the Manmohan Singh government's role to contain tension in Rajasthan and its spillover in other parts of the country, they suggested the Centre should hold a dialogue with the political parties, the warring groups and the Rajasthan government to restore peace and order.

UNI