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President allows Sonia some more time

President K R Narayanan today gave Congress president Sonia Gandhi the green signal to put together a majority in the Lok Sabha with the help of 'secular' parties, but did not indicate a time frame in which to complete the exercise.

The Congress needs to muster the support of 39 more MPs for a simple majority in the 543-member House.

Gandhi told reporters after her forty-minute meeting with Narayanan that she had assured the President she would complete the process as early as possible.

She said she had told the President she has letters of support from 233 Lok Sabha members and that she would hold talks with all the parties that voted against the A B Vajpayee government's confidence motion on April 17.

Asked if this meant the Congress is open to the idea of a coalition government, Gandhi said she would have to consult her colleagues in the party, including members of the Congress Working Committee, before arriving at a decision.

As for supporting a third front government, she said that too would have to be discussed with colleagues and the CWC.

She, however, made it clear that it was for the secular parties to decide how to prevent the Bharatiya Janata Party from staging a comeback.

UNI

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