Cong dharma: Leadership by consensus

Emphasising coalition ‘‘dharma’’ and ‘‘maryada’’, the Congress today said in case the pre-poll secul...

Emphasising coalition ‘‘dharma’’ and ‘‘maryada’’, the Congress today said in case the pre-poll secular alliance gets a majority in the Lok Sabha then the question of ‘‘leadership will be decided by consensus’’.

Party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said: ‘‘If the Congress and allies get a majority in the LS then in accordance with true dharma and maryada of a coalition, the leader would be decided by consensus.’’

The party has already kept the options open for the BSP and the SP. On a post-poll alliance, he said: ‘‘We are confident of getting a majority on our own. However, we are in no way averse to post-poll support so long as its excludes those in the NDA.’’ On NDA convenor George Fernandes saying the NDA was open post-polls, Singhvi said: ‘‘He is luring all and sundry into the NDA by keeping an open house. But since we are about to see the end of NDA, no one is likely to heed his calls.’’

Calling the NDA a ‘‘National Devastated Alliance’’, the Congress referred to the BJP’s internal assessment that the NDA was ‘‘losing consistently’’.