Prez poll: Congress targets ally, Oppn slams ruling coalition

New Delhi, June 14 (PTI) As the Presidential poll drama entered a new level of acrimony and intrigue, the Congress party which is dominant partner in the ruling coalition UPA today disapproved of one its allies- the Trinamul Congress- dragging the name of Prime Minister. With bitter politics being played out around the country's next President, the UPA also came under attack from the Opposition for handling the matter "clumsily" and was also accused of a "botch up." Senior BJP leader L K Advani described as "dicey" the developing situation. Amid allegations and counter-allegations, the Trinamool Congress claimed that West Bengal Chief Minister had not breached any trust by disclosing the names of Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Vice President Hamid Ansari after her meeting with UPA leader Sonia Gandhi yesterday, saying it was done with the "consent" and "permission" of the Congress chief. Earlier in the day, Senior Congress minister Ambika Soni targeted Banerjee directly, stating that the Chief Minister's behaviour "doesn't make political or ethical sense." "Never has there been an instance where the name of a sitting PM is bandied about like this," she said. "It is a constitutional post, he heads the government and the country and one desists from such lack of courtesy... People of our country would wonder why such tactics are being adopted by political parties," Soni told reporters. CPI(M) Politburo member Brinda Karat termed as 'unprecedented' the proposal mooted by key UPA allies Mulayam Singh Yadav and Mamata Banerjee to make Prime Minister Manmohan Singh a candidate for the Presidential poll, saying it showed lack of principles in the ruling coalition. Reacting to the names proposed as Presidential candidates, CPI-M's Sitaram Yechury was critical of the way the names have led to speculation. "It is neither good for the nation nor for our polity to speculate on these names...it is not good for those also whose names have been floated in the speculation market," he said. Coming down heavily on the UPA on its handling of the Presidential election issue, Advani said "I have never seen any earlier government handling an important election like the Presidential election so clumsily in such a manner that its position gets worse day-by-day." PTI