Onboard Special Aircraft, June 24 (ANI): Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has expressed hope that the disgruntled Trinamool Congress (TMC) will extend its support to outgoing Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's candidature for president.
He said this while interacting with mediapersons onboard a special aircraft during his flight from Rio de Janeiro to New Delhi late on Saturday.
He had been to the Brazilian capital to attend the Rio+20 global Summit on environmental balance and sustenance.
"I am still confident that when it comes to dealing with the basic fundamental; problem of our country, all political parties will join hands, whether Trinamool Congress or other parties, I expect each one of them to play their role in moving this country back to the high growth path that we are capable of," said Singh.
Singh also mentioned that he had personally requested and appealed to all political parties to support Mukherjee's nomination.
West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress president Mamata Banerjee, a key ally of the ruling United Progressive Alliance, has still not backed Mukherjee's candidature for the post of the president.
Singh urged the TMC along with other political factions to help the central government in bringing the economy back on track and also enable election of the country's president on a note of consensus.
"As soon as we decided upon the nomination of Shri Pranab Mukherjee, I rang up L K Advaniji, I rang up Sushma Swarajji, I rang up Arun Jaitleyji, requesting them to work with the government and the ruling coalition to ensure that Pranabji's election takes place unanimously. As far as the Trinamool Congress is concerned, Trinamool Congress is still part of the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) and I have still not given up hope that Trinamool Congress will also find its way to support the candidature of Shri Pranab Mukherjee," said Singh
Mukherjee was nominated by the Congress party in the face of opposition from a key ally, the Trinamool Congress (TMC), within the ruling coalition.
The Congress party, however, won support from other parties out of its coalition for its choice and appeared confident that he would win the Electoral College on July 19 in which all the lawmakers both at the federal and provincial levels would cast their votes to choose the next President of India.
Mukherjee has served as Finance Minister, Foreign Minister and Commerce Minister twice and also as Defence Minister.
The presidential elections will be held on July 19. The vote count will take place on July 22. Pratibha Devisingh Patil's term as President ends on July 24. (ANI)
