A day after he said Congress was only keen on defeating NDA and the prime minister’s post was not its primary concern, Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Friday appeared to have made a U-turn, saying his party must be given a chance if a stable government is needed at the centre.
“No, this is not true that Congress will not claim or Congress is not interested in Prime Minister post. Of course, we are the biggest and oldest political party. If we have to run the govt for five years biggest political party should be given a chance,” Azad was quoted by news agency ANI as saying.
Ghulam Nabi Azad, @INCIndia:No, this is not true that Congress will not claim or Congress is not interested in Prime Minister post. Of course we are the biggest and oldest political party. If we have to run the govt for five years biggest political party should be given a chance. pic.twitter.com/jgJismJPA6
— NewsMobile (@NewsMobileIndia) May 17, 2019
On Thursday, Azad had said that Congress will not make an issue if the PM’s post is not offered to them after the results of the Lok Sabha elections are declared.
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PM Modi while addressing a rally in West Bengal’s Kolkata attacked the Congress over Azad’s comment saying that the party has backed out even before the elections are over. “Even before voting ends, before exit polls, before counting, (the Congress) is saying openly that it is ready to forgo its claim on the PM’s post,” PM Modi said
The remark gains significance in the backdrop of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi has been reaching out to opposition leaders, seeking their participation in at a meeting ahead of the results to prepare for various case scenarios.