TNI Bureau: In an incredible development, which is seen as choreographed, Congress allies Trinamool Congress and Samajwadi Party have proposed Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh as the next President of India along with former President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam and former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee.
After meeting Sonia Gandhi at her residence this evening, Mamata revealed the Congress strategy, saying the party proposed the names of Pranab Mukherjee and Dr. Hamid Ansari. She rejected Pranab and met Samajwadi party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav. The duo held a press conference to propose three names – Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, Dr. Manmohan Singh and Somnath Chatterjee.
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The Congress is expected to block Kalam’s candidature and may find it difficult to support Leftist Somnath. In that case, they will have to relieve Manmohan as the PM and install Pranab Mukherjee as the PM. However, that could be suicidal for the Congress in the end.
The BJP-led NDA, DMK, AIADMK, BJD and some other parties may support APJ Abdul Kalam. However, Congress would try hard to avoid that and go for its own choice. If this is a strategy played by the Congress Party, Dr. Manmohan Singh won’t have any other choice but to agree to be elevated to Raisina Hill.