Sangma wants debate with Pranab ahead of presidential polls

Pinning hopes on "conscience vote", Sangma virtually dared UPA nominee Pranab Mukherjee for a debate ahead of presidential polls, saying democracy needs debate.

NEW DELHI: Pinning hopes on "conscience vote" and his tribal identity, P A Sangma today virtually dared UPA nominee Pranab Mukherjee for a debate ahead of presidential polls, saying democracy needs debate.

Maintaining that in a democracy people have the right to choose and there should be a debate at a time when the economy is sinking and scams are unimaginable, Sangma said, "Who is responsible for all this corruption...It has to be a candidate to candidate debate".

Asked whether he was throwing a challenge to Mukherjee, Sangma, who has the backing of BJP, BJD and AIADMK, said it was a practice. "Democracy means debate. I am asking for debate," he told TV channels.

Claiming that he will win the presidential race, Sangma also said he has sought appointments with Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray. He said that he was going to reach out to every one.

"The election will be by a secret ballot. Secret ballot means conscience vote. I depend on conscience vote and I believe in conscience vote," he said.

He said that the fact that there is a "split" in almost all political parties shows that this Presidential election is a serious one and "not as smooth as the Congress is claiming".

Sangma said that the UPA candidate is also not getting the undivided support of the ruling alliance as Mamata, whose party in a constituent of UPA, is "not supporting Mukherjee as yet".

He said that he is "constantly in touch" with the Trinamool Congress chief and is "very hopeful of her support". He said, "I am going to meet her in next few days."

Playing the tribal card, Sangma said that he wanted to correct the historic mistakes the country has committed as "tribals have not been given their due...I appeal to the consience of the nation. We have given our land, our forest, our natural resources...please recognize us."

TMC says it is Mentally ready to quit UPA govt

Pushed on the backfoot after being isolated on the Presidential poll, Trinamool Congress on Monday night sent a terse message to Congress saying it is ‘mentally prepared to quit’ the UPA government if forced to do so and should not be taken for granted.

"Trinamool ministers are mentally prepared to resign from the central government if the Congress thinks we are a burden or if Mamata Banerjee instructs them to do so. We will not stay by force. We should not be given any indirect threat", leader of the TMC parliamentary party in the Lok Sabha Sudip Bandopadhyay told reporters here.

The Trinamool threat came a day after Congress leader Digvijay Singh described Banerjee as an ‘erratic’ leader and that there is a ‘limit’ to which one can ‘bend’ as certain eventualities have to be faced if they cannot be avoided.

Singh was reflecting his angst over Banerjee's dramatic rejection of UPA's Presidential nominees and her continued defiance.

The Congress on Monday distanced itself from his comments saying he was not officially authorised to speak to the media.

Banerjee has faced a double blow in quick succession first when Mulayam Singh ditched her by backing UPA Presidential nominee Pranab Mukherjee and then A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, who she named as her candidate, declaring that he will not contest.

Bandopadhyay, the union minister of state for health, said that the Congress party was not ‘capable enough’ to run the government on its own strength.

"The Congress is dependent on other parties, including the Trinamool Congress, which is the second largest constituent of the UPA," he said, adding, "We as a major ally should not be taken for granted."

"If Trinamool Congress leaves the UPA on its own, it will give a wrong message to the people that it wanted to topple the UPA government," a party leader quoted Banerjee as having said at a crucial meeting of party MPs and MLAs shortly after A.P.J. Abdul Kalam announced his decision to opt out of the presidential race.

Bandhopadhyay said, "We will be happy if Kalam reconsiders his decision. We will take the final decision regarding what will be our stand in regard to the presidential poll after the nomination is over."

Briefing newsmen about the nearly two-hour meeting, leader of the parliamentary party, Bandopadhyay, however, said reports that party MPS and union ministers submitting letters of resignation to the party supremo were ‘totally baseless’.

"We have not tendered our resignation letters anywhere, neither to the party supremo nor to the government. Our leader Mamata Banerjee has categorically said that we do not want to make this government weak," Bandopadhyay said.

"It is an ugly and motivated report. It will not take us a second's time to resign from the UPA government. If Mamata directs, Railway minister Mukul Roy and the other six ministers of state would resign."

Asked whether the Trinamool Congress would support former Lok Sabha speaker P.A. Sangma if he contested the presidential polls, he said, "We have not taken such a decision at the meeting. As the situation develops the party will sit and decide the future course of action."

He said that the parliamentary party and the legislature party authorised the party chief to take a decision on the presidential polls.