Hyderabad: Before the last phase of the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress is concentrating on getting support from anti-BJP parties and neutral parties.
Accordingly, senior Congress leader and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath has been entrusted with the task of reaching out to TRS president and Telangana state Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, YSR Congress president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and Biju Janata Dal Chief, Naveen Patnaik in Odisha.
Congress sources said that Kamal Nath would start informal talks with these leaders. Two AICC leaders are likely to accompany Mr Nath, whose brief is to get the opinions and demands of the regional leaders and the likelihood of their parties supporting the UPA to form the government at the Centre.
Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy has openly said that he would support whichever party would grant Special Category Status to Andhra Pradesh. He wants a written, not verbal, commitment.
All India Congress Committee (AICC) member Gulam Nabi Azad said on Thursday that the Congress would have no problem if it does not get the Prime Minister’s post, and that the focus of the Opposition was to stop the BJP from forming the government at the Centre.
He said, “If there is consensus in favour of the Congress, then the party will take the leadership, but our aim has always been that the NDA government should not come back. We will go with the unanimous decision. We do not want to create any issue at this time that if we don’t become, no one else should.”
Congress MLA Jagga Reddy, however, said that they have no problem if Congress president Rahul Gandhi becomes Prime Minister even with the support of the TRS.
Speaking to the media on Thursday, he said that power in the state was not important to the party. However, Mr Gandhi becoming PM was more important, he said.
