BJP scoffs at PM seeking NDA's support for Presidential poll

New Delhi, June 9 (UNI) The BJP today scoffed at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeking NDA's support for electing the next President through a consensus and asked the UPA to name its candidate as a consensus has to be built around the person and not the party.

Responding to Dr Singh's suggestion stating that it was the turn of NDA to support UPA-Left nominee as the Congress had supported NDA's nominee in 2002, BJP spokesman Ravishankar Prasad told UNI that one had to keep certain facts in mind.

The Congress, he reminded had fallen in line with the NDA in 2002 when it named Dr A P J Abdul Kalam, the eminent scientist as its candidate. They had no other choice except to support Dr Kalam but had put up its candidate Sushil Kumar Shinde in the Vice Presidential polls.

Dr Singh should recall that the Left parties had sponsored Capt Lakshmi Saigal to fight the polls and there was a contest, he said adding that all these facts have to be kept in mind for the PM to expect NDA's support for consensus.

UNI