Will NEVER support a foreigner for PM's post: Sangma

Presidential candidate P A Sangma, who had revised his position on Sonia Gandhi, on Saturday reverted to his original stand that a person of foreign origin should not become prime minister India.

"That is my view now. That will be my view in the future till I die. I will never support any foreigner to be prime minister or President of India. I am very clear about it," Sangma said.

Sangma, who had opposed Sonia Gandhi's candidature for prime ministership in 1999 along with Sharad Pawar and walked out of the Congress to form the Nationalist Congress Party, later revised his position.

On May 22, 2012, Sangma had said, "That is a forgotten issue, a closed chapter. I had gone and apologised to her (Sonia Gandhi), saying you had a chance to be the prime minister, you had the numbers, yet you declined. I am very happy. Let us forget the past. And she said yes, let us forget the past."

The controversy has arisen afresh with former president A P J Abdul Kalam stating in his forthcoming book that had Gandhi wanted to become PM in 2004, he had no other option but to appoint her.

Sangma's decision to go back to his original position on Saturday has come in the wake of the Congress's decision not to back him in the presidential election. The former Lok Sabha Speaker had sought Congress support for himself, saying it is time a tribal became the President of India.

Congress decided to field Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee as its candidate for the top post.

Sangma, backed by All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Biju Janata Dal, also got the support of Bharatiya Janata Party and some of its National Democratic Alliance allies. He has appealed to all Members of Parliament and Members of Legislative Assembly to vote as per their conscience.