President of India? No, thank you, says Kesri

George Iype in New Delhi

The choice of the next President of India has become a negotiating chip between the major factions of the Congress party.

Senior Congress leader Sharad Pawar and his supporters want party chief Sitaram Kesri to take up the country's top ceremonial post, which will fall vacant when President Shankar Dayal Sharma's term ends in July.

Sources said Pawar, who claims to be second-in-command in the Congress by virtue of being the party's floor leader in the Lok Sabha, has sent feelers to Kesri asking him to settle for a position as the head of the Indian State.

Pawar's supporters put forward two reasons in support of Kesri becoming President. Firstly, they say in the present political scenario, the Congress is left with no option but continue its support to the United Front government headed by Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda.

Secondly, before he was elected Congress chief nearly four months ago, Kesri was said to have been eyeing the President's post. But he changed his mind after he was unanimously chosen Congress president and Congress Parliamentary Party leader.

"Under the present circustances, it is nearly impossible that Kesriji can make it to the prime minister's office. But getting the President's job is easy and we are all supportive of his candidature," a Pawar aide told Rediff On The NeT.

But Kesri's loyalists, who have rejected the backdoor manoeuvrings of Pawar and his supporters, fear this is the Maharashtra leader's strategy to become CPP leader and eventually the future Congress prime minister.

Said Tariq Anwar, political secretary to the Congress president, "Kesriji does not want to be dragged into the debate regarding the President's election. There is no move in the Congress to make him the next President."

Anwar told Rediff On The NeT that "if some Congress leaders want Kesriji to become President, let them express their views in appropriate fora like the Congress Working Committee."

Insiders say even Prime Minister Deve Gowda had at one point of time hoped to persuade Kesri to accept the President's post. This was largely based on a game plan to safeguard Deve Gowda's position, but Kesri's backward class status and pro-minority image were cited as his qualities for occupying the President's office.

Party insiders said Kesri will not join the race to become President. A consensus is emerging among different political parties over the elevation of Vice-President K R Narayanan.

The Veep has all the right credentials. He is from the so-called scheduled caste community, is a graduate of the London School of Economics, served in the Indian Foreign Service (he was India's ambassador to China and the US) before joining politics and the Rajiv Gandhi government. Narayanan's candidature has been advocated by UF constituents like the Tamil Maanila Congress.

What might embarrass the UF and the Congress is Dr Sharma's eagerness to continue in office. Sources said the 78-year-old President recently ordered a renovation of Rashtrapati Bhavan. "Dr Sharma is personally taking interest in this work. This is an indication that he wishes to continue in office," a Congress leader said.