Click to play videoNew Delhi: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday told CNN-IBN he was not in the race to be the country’s Prime Minister and his party’s strength didn’t permit him to handle “such a high responsibility”.
“I have made my position clear. Unless we have the strength one should not expect to lead the country. We have hardly contested 40 seats and it is not proper to expect such high responsibility to run the country,” Pawar told CNN-IBN in an exclusive interview.
“Ambition is one thing--ground level reality is not conducive. No point in having irrational ambition,” he said.
Pawar, who is also the Union Agriculture Minister, said Manmohan Singh could again emerge as the UPA’s choice for the Prime Minister’s post but the matter had not been finalised. “The Congress has projected Manmohan as PM. We will prefer sitting together in UPA to decide on who should be the Prime Minister. Manmohan Singh is the most respected, and he has been projected by his party.
“Unfortunately he is not the UPA candidate for PM. We have to finalise name after elections. It can be Manmohan Singh. Before accepting anyone there has to be a discussion,” he said.
Pawar denied that AIADMK leader Jayalalitha had supported him for the Prime Minister’s post. “I don’t think it is an endorsement. She just said I have the capacity to work as Prime Minister and beyond that there is nothing,” Pawar said.
Pawar dismissed the Third Front’s chances in the elections but wanted the UPA to maintain good ties with the Left parties. “I don’t think the Third Front will be able to elect somebody as PM. The UPA and its partners should have good rapport with the left Front,” he said.
“We could reach the magic figure (after 2004 elections) only because we got support from Left (in Parliament).”
Pawar reckoned that the UPA would need the support Rashtriya Janata Dal and Lok Janashakti Party leaders to form the next government. “My efforts will be to get Lalu Prasad and Ram Vilas Paswan. My assessment is that with just the old partners it (UPA) will not be able to form the next government. We need more support from secular forces.”
“Lalu, Paswan and the Samajwadi Party are secular forces and they will not join NDA. I don’t see a problem in old colleagues coming together. Certainly it will be my be my effort to bring old secular friends together.”
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