Advani,PM-in-waiting for 40 yrs,will remain so: Cong

“The BJP-led NDA should know that alliances built on political opportunism are inherently unsteady,” he said.

Taking a dig at BJP Prime Ministerial candidate L K Advani,the Congress leader said,”Advani has been the Prime Minister-in-waiting for the last 40 years and will remain so as his dream of becoming PM will never be fulfilled”.

Contending that Congress was the only national party with a presence in each state,Sibal also dismissed the Third Front as a ‘non-starter’ and claimed it had ‘disintegrated’ before its formation while none of its constituents had a national base.

“The Left parties will lose their bargaining capacity after the polls as their strength is likely to be depleted substantially,” he claimed.

“Today,there is a historic moment before us. People are thinking that time has come to give absolute majority to the national party (Congress),” Sibal said.

Asked if the Congress wants to come back to power on its own without the support of its allies after the Lok Sabha polls,Sibal said “people of this country want that Congress should be supported”.

He,however,hurriedly added that “Congress wants that it should get majority (in the polls) by taking along all its allies”.

He said there was nothing wrong in any party wishing that it will get a majority. “I am sure the BJP or even the LJP wants the same,” he said in response to a question.

Replying to another query,he said though there may be some issues with Samajwadi Party,but the latter had made it clear that post-poll they would support the Congress led formation at the Centre.

To another question,he put the blame on the Congress party not doing very well in UP during recent years to a pact between former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao and the BSP leaders late Kanshi Ram and its present supremo Mayawati.

On the anti-Muslim remarks of BJP leader Varun Gandhi,Sibal said,”Varun does not deserve to remain in politics”.

Regarding the Third Front,Sibal said,”The formation is neither cemented by ideology nor any Common Minimum Programme…the only thing that brings them together is their desire to pull themselves out of irrelevance. Nobody knows who is in the front and who supports who.”

“None of the constituents of the so called third front has a national base. Moreover,the people of India are required to vote for a formation without any knowledge of its Prime Ministerial candidate,with each leader of the Front being an aspirant for that position,” Sibal said.

He said that people of the country have experienced coalition governments since 1996.

“India needs a cohesive government which can provide leadership,stability and give a sense of direction to its people. The Congress party is perhaps the only national party which has both a national presence in each state and a national agenda to take India forward,” he said.

On the global economic slowdown,Sibal said the government was aware that it had particularly hit the export-oriented sectors like the textile,IT and gems and jewellery sector.

Sibal said,if need be,the Government will seek prior approval from the Election Commission to take steps which are necessary to negate the impact of downturn in the economy.