Opposition leaders pour cold water on Stalin's pitch for Rahul as PM candidate: Sources

DMK president M K Stalin Sunday made a strong pitch for Congress chief Rahul Gandhi as the prime ministerial candidate of the Opposition for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, saying the Gandhi scion had the ability to defeat the "fascist" Narendra Modi government.

Stalin's plea is in line with the tradition of his late father M Karunanidhi who had earlier invited Indira Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi for leadership roles.

However, Stalin’s premature pitch was met with vehement disapproval from Opposition leaders.

Leaders from SP, TDP, BSP, TMC and NCP disagreed with the announcement naming Rahul Gandhi as the Opposition’s PM candidate. Sources in the Opposition said they could decide on the PM candidate only after the results. An unnamed source said: “It is premature. PM name to be decided only after results.”

The DMK president was speaking at a rally attended by chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, N Chandrababu Naidu and Pinarayi Vijayan, respectively.

Incidentally, Naidu, post his split with the BJP-led NDA earlier this year, is attempting to cobble up a mega coalition of anti-BJP front for the next parliamentary elections.

Banerjee, who had earlier floated the idea of a federal front of regional parties, has been seen recently exchanging bonhomie with Naidu, and her counterparts from Delhi and Telangana, Arvind Kejriwal and Chandrashekar Rao respectively, apart from DMK president M K Stalin. But, the same warmth has not been seen for the Congress.

 West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will not attend the swearing-in ceremony of Congress leader Kamal Nath as Madhya Pradesh chief minister, official sources said Sunday.
There was, however, no reason cited for Banerjee not going to Bhopal for the swearing-in ceremony on Monday, an official of the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said.

Stalin recalled that Karunanidhi had in 1980 declared "Welcome daughter of Pandit Nehru. Give a Stable Regime" while extending support to the late Indira Gandhi. Similarly, he had made an invitation to Sonia Gandhi in 2004, saying "Welcome daughter-in-law of Indira Gandhi, India's daughter should Win".

"In 2018, on the occasion of unveiling Thalaivar Kalaignar statue, I propose, we will install a new prime minister in Delhi. We will build a new India, as the Son of Thalaivar Kalaignar, I propose the candidature of Rahul Gandhi from Tamil Nadu," Stalin said.

The rally followed the unveiling of a bronze statue of Karunanidhi at the DMK headquarters Anna Arivalayam. Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi and party president Rahul Gandhi were also in attendance at the event.

"Rahul has got the ability to defeat the 'Fascist Nazist' Modi government. I appeal to all my respected party leaders on the dais. We will strengthen the hands of Rahul Gandhi. We will save this nation," Stalin added.

 Congress president Rahul Gandhi Sunday lashed out at the BJP government at the Centre saying he will not allow "destruction" of institutions of the country like the Supreme Court and the Reserve Bank of India. The BJP government believes "only one idea should run India", Gandhi alleged at a public rally organised by his party's southern ally, the DMK.

The meeting was attended by opposition leaders including TDP supremo and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.

Gandhi was addressing the rally after participating in an earlier event for unveiling late DMK president M Karunanidhi's statue at the party's headquarters Anna Arivalayam here. Training his guns on the Narendra Modi government, Gandhi accused it of targeting institutions of the country, besides the culture of India.

"We are not going to allow the destruction of the idea of India. We are not going to allow the destruction of institutions, the supreme Court, Reserve Bank of India, Election Commission of India," he said. "And we are going to stand together and do this," he added.

He said that in the memory of Karunanidhi, and out of respect for Tamil language, its culture and tradition, "everybody in India is going to get together." "..... all voices in India are going to get together and defeat the BJP in the next elections" he said.