Cong downplays NCP statement of Pawar as PM candidate

Congress on Friday, downplayed its key ally NCP's statement of not ruling out Sharad Pawar as the prime ministerial candidate in the coming Lok Sabha elections.

Party spokesman Manish Tewari told reporters that NCP general secretary DP Tripathi, who had made the remark, told him that it was in response to a "rhetorical query".

The AICC had on Thursday, said that there was "no vacancy" for the top post as "we are contesting the elections as a UPA alliance and the prime minister of this alliance is Manmohan Singh."

Talking to reporters after a meeting of the NCP Working Committee a couple of days back, Tripathi had declined to rule out Pawar as the prime minister after the Lok Sabha elections, contending that leaders of smaller parties like IK Gujral and
Chandra Shekhar had occupied the top post in the past.