A day after the Centre’s talks with Opposition parties for a consensus on the presidential candidate proved inconclusive in the absence of any name being offered by the government, CPI (M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said on Saturday that the Opposition should announce its candidate on the 21st of this month if the government does not suggest a name by June 20.
“I have suggested today that the Opposition should announce its candidate by 21st if no name is forthcoming from the government. The meeting with the government yesterday [on Saturday] was not fruitful as they had no names to offer,” Mr. Yechury told The Hindu.
Union Ministers Rajnath Singh and M Venkaiah Naidu had met Congress president Sonia Gandhi and, later, also Mr. Yechury on Friday but did not suggest any name, which meant that the stalemate continues.
Opposition leaders claim that the government outreach has been more of a Public Relations (PR) exercise and also aimed at a delay to give the Opposition less time to field an appropriate candidate to the government’s nominee in the event of a contest.
The government is believed to have suggested to the Opposition not to seek a contest merely for the sake of one.