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Congress trying to form alternative led by Sonia

Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi

Congress president Sonia Gandhi has secured the approval of All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary J Jayalalitha to share power in a coalition government supported from outside by the Left and the Rashtriya Loktantrik Morcha, Congress officials said today.

Referring to the telephonic conversations between the Congress and AIADMK leaders yesterday, the officials said Jayalalitha had agreed to share power in a coalition led by Sonia Gandhi.

They said reports about some other Congressman becoming prime minister were no longer relevant because all partymen favour Gandhi taking over.

They said those opposition parties that are against a Congress-led government will fall in line to avoid a mid-term election. That is why the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Left parties, Mulayam Singh Yadav and H D Deve Gowda agreed to accompany a delegation led by the Congress to President K R Narayanan to seek Vajpayee's resignation.

It has now become clear that despite the differences of opinion among the opposition parties on the formation of an alternative government, the AIADMK's withdrawal of support to the ruling coalition has infused new energy in them.

Mulayam Singh went to the extent of saying that the time is ripe to sort out the differences between the RLM and the Congress. Congressmen see this as another positive indicator that the RLM is likely to join a government headed by Gandhi.

The officials emphasised that even if the Vajpayee government is able to muster a simple majority after Parliament reconvenes tomorrow, the Congress and the other opposition parties will wait for the Budget to be passed and then move a no-confidence motion.

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