Manmohan talks to Vajpayee on Presidential candidate

New Delhi, June 14 (UNI) The Congress-led UPA today launched the campaign for their Presidential candidate Pratibha Patil with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeking the support of former Prime Ministers, including BJP patriarch A B Vajpayee, immediately after deciding her name.

Top political sources told UNI that Dr Singh made the first call to Mr Vajpayee, who was entrusted by the BJP to find a suitable rival candidate in the July 19 Presidential election.

He then called his predecessors H D Deve Gowda, I K Gujaral and V P Singh.

According to Left leaders the idea of a woman president emerged in the context of the" jhamela" ( tussle) between the UPA and Left parties over the choice of an acceptable candidate for the election to the highest constitutional office.

Talking to the mediapersons soon after the meeting was over, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury said, ''Ms Patil does fit well within our criteria for the Presidential candidate.'' To repeated queries, he said Mrs Patil was a highly experienced person who possessed impeccable secular credentials. She was also well versed in Indian Constitution and could very well strike a fine balance between the Executive, Judiciary and the Legislature.

Asked why the Left had at last endorsed a ''light weight candidate,'' Mr Yechury quipped ''Don't thrust your words into my mouth.'' RJD supremeo Lalu Prasad said all the constitunets of the UPA and the Left parties had accpeted the candidature of Mrs Patil.

''Dont you think that it is a red letter day in the country's 60 years of history after independence, that a woman has been chosen to contest for the top constitutional job.'' ''We have accepted her condidature without any reservations,'' he added.

He also appealed to all the political parties, the MPs and MLAs to extend their whole hearted support to her and get her elected.

Answering a specific query the RJD chief, who is said to enjoy a good personal rapport with Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, who is likely to be a BJP-supported independent, said, ''Even Mr Shekhawat is not a bad person, but it is his ideology and his RSS background comes in the way.'' RSP leader Abani Roy said his party would take a formal decision on supporting the candidature of Mrs Patil at its Central Committee meeting on June 19. Mrs Patil was selected by the UPA.

UNI