COMMENTARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ELECTIONS
ARCHIVES

BJP submits list of 270 MPs to President

The Bharatiya Janata Party and its alliance partners today submitted a list of 270 members of Parliament to President K R Narayanan, pledging full support to the leadership of caretaker Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

The delegation, led by Home Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani, met the President for half an hour this evening and handed over separate letters of support signed by the leader of each supporting party.

The delegation contended that only the coalition led by Vajpayee could provide stability in the country.

Talking to reporters at Rashtrapati Bhawan later, Advani said they pointed out to the President that none of the previous governments of smaller groups -- led by V P Singh in 1989, Chandra Shekhar in 1990, H D Deve Gowda in 1996, and I K Gujral in 1997 -- which were formed with outside support, could last for even one year.

But "we did not stake our claim to form the government", he clarified.

Advani said the delegation also requested the President to adopt the same procedure that was followed when the Vajpayee government was formed.

UNI

Tell us what you think of this report