CPI wants 'Dalit woman' for President's post

The Communist Party of India on Thursday said it favoured a Dalit woman as the next President of India, but did not spell out any name for the top Constitutional post.

Top CPI leader A B Bardhan said Congress or the United Progressive Alliance have not spoken with the Left parties so far or come out with any name for the Presidential elections.

"Mahatma Gandhi has said one good thing, among many other good things, that a Dalit woman should be made President," he told a press conference when asked about his party's preference in the July poll for the President's post.

Bardhan clarified that he did not mean Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar when he talked about a Dalit woman as the next president.

"Sorry. I am not taking any names," he said.

Asked whether the Left parties would support Pranab Mukherjee if the United Progressive Alliance chooses the finance minister as its candidate, Bardhan said, "I cannot answer your questions which are full of ifs."

"We will wait and watch. Left parties are meeting here on June 21 to firm up our strategy," he said.

Bardhan said only four leaders -- Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, Biju Janata Dal head Naveen Patnaik, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam supremo Jayalalithaa and Telugu Desam Party president Chandrababu Naidu -- spoke to him.

Barring the four leaders none, including Mukherjee, had spoken to him on the matter, he said.

When asked about reports that Mukherjee spoke with former West chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, party sources said he is not in the leadership of the Communist Party of India - Marxist or the Left.

"They will have to talk to those in leadership," he said.