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Bharatiya Janata Party president M Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday denied the opposition charge that the National Democratic Alliance was acting unilaterally on the choice of the next Vice-President of India.
At a media conference in Hyderabad, Naidu lashed out at the Congress for carrying on a false propaganda against the NDA in this regard.
"They have started making allegations even before Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has begun consultations for a consensus candidate," he quipped.
The poll is scheduled for August 12 and the last date for filing of nominations is July 24, with the 790 members of Parliament comprising the electoral college.
"However, if no consensus is reached, we have the numbers to ensure the victory of our candidate," he said and asserted that the opposition would not be able to create differences within the NDA on this issue.
Commenting on the presidential poll, he said, "A P J Abdul Kalam is not just the BJP's choice, but also that of the people. His nomination has sent the right signals to the international community."
He came down heavily on the Left parties for opposing his candidature.
"They are totally isolated on the issue," he said and pooh-poohed the claims of Left Front candidate Col Lakshmi Sehgal that she would get some votes from the NDA.
Naidu reiterated that the BJP was against the division of Jammu and Kashmir as demanded by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP).
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