The Telugu Desam president and a leading figure in the third front N Chandrababu Naidu has ruled out the possibility of any body being projected as the prime ministerial candidate of the third front before the elections.
Before leaving for Delhi to attend the dinner hosted by the Bahujan Samaj Party leader and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati, Naidu told the media-persons that the third front leaders will discuss the issue of prime minister only after the elections. "There are so many parties and we have to work with them. We have to bring consensus. Then only we can announce a name. More than us, you seems to be in a hurry", Naidu told the reporters when asked about the reports that Mayawati wants to projected as next prime minister if third front comes to power.
Naidu said that Maywati had not made any such demand and it was only the meid awhich was carrying such reports. Pointing that all the coalitions, including the Congress led United Progressive Alliance and the Bharatiya Janata Party led National Democratic Alliance were formed only after the elections, Naidu said that third front's coalition will take a formal shape only after the polls.
Naidu said that the parties like the Left, TDP , Janata Dal-Secular, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, BJP and BSP were all contesting elections independently concentrating on their own states. Some parties were also concentrating on a couple of neighboring states.
"We will form a coalition before the elections and work together after the elections", he said."We are trying to provide an alternative. 1996 will be repeated when all the parties had contested independently and after the elections joined hands to provide good governance", Naidu said.
When asked to comment on the IT Vision of Bharatiya Janata Party promising free cell phones to the people and cheap laptops to the students, Naidu said that it was his contribution to the nation that the Information Technology has come on the agenda of various political parties. "Whenever IT is mentioned people will remember me only", he said.
Naidu claimed that the BJP was infact thinking of promising free television to the people but it went back after he made the promised. "Cell phone is useful for the people for contacting others but TV is important for many things including education, health agriculture, we can broadcasts extension programs through the TV. Secondly it will be a source of entertainment. Poor people are unable to read newspapers and they can get the news and information through TV", he said.