Inder Gujral, Naidu Frontrunners On Eve Of Key Uf Meet

The Left appears to have decided to back either United Front convenor and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu or external affairs minister I K Gujral for the post of United Front Parliamentary party leader, even as it persists with a tough stance vis-a-vis the Congress. The four Left parties are insisting that the Front should not discuss the leadership issue at todays steering committee meeting, and not until the Congress withdraws its letter to President Shankar Dayal Sharma, in which it had staked its claim to form a government.

The Lefts stand appears to be dictated by its fear that the Congress might use the withdrawal of its letter to exert leverage over the Fronts choice of a new leader.

Instead, the Left is pinning its hopes on what it terms the process of elimination. We will not propose any new name. We will just help the United Front to eliminate some of the names. We want the leader who is selected to have an unblemished record. There should be no case of corruption against him, said one Left leader. However, he refused to name the most suitable candidate as far as the four Left parties are concerned.

Going by the Lefts criteria, Naidu and Gujral may emerge as front-runners in the race for the top slot. Within the Federal Front, industries minister Murasoli Maran is also being touted as a possible candidate. The Left is unlikely to back the candidature of Janata Dal president Laloo Prasad Yadav and Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav because of their alleged involvement in scams.