Cong rejects Sangma's demand for debate with Pranab

The Congress on Friday rejected opposition Presidential nominee P A Sangma's demand for a debate with United Progressive Alliance's Presidential nominee Pranab Mukherjee saying the President of India is not supposed to be managing the economy of the country.

"The Constitution does not ordain or mandate that the President of India manage the economy of the country. Therefore, the suggestion for the debate is non sequitur (a statement that does not logically follow the previous statement) and non-starter," party spokesperson Manish Tewari told the media.

He was responding to questions on Sangma's remarks about the Indian economy being in "bad" shape and his demand for a debate with Mukherjee.

Tewari also rejected the Bharatiya Janata Party's allegation that a consensus could not be built on the issue of Presidential election because the ruling alliance did not talk to the opposition before finalising its candidate.

Terming such arguments as "hairsplitting", Tewari said the BJP should have demonstrated "magnanimity" like some of the National Democratic Alliance allies did and "one should go by substance and not form".

"If somebody decides to have a contest for the sake of a contest, it will find such excuses. And that is precisely what the BJP is doing," he said.

Tewari also reminded that when the NDA had decided on the name of A P J Abdul Kalam as a presidential candidate in 2002, the UPA had supported its candidate without any rancour. He reiterated the party's appeal to all political parties' support to Mukherjee's candidature and hoped the parties, which are still opposing him, will revisit their stand given the political landscape in the country.