Karat's openness to 'non-political' V-P raises Cong eyebrows

The possibility of the Left parties zeroing in on a non-political person for the post of vice-president has raised eyebrows in the Congress.

This was hinted by CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat in a TV interview yesterday.

Sources said the Congress, prepared to leave the post to its Left allies, was surprised at Karat's statement that the "next vice-president could be a non-political person.''

Senior AICC leaders said Karat's statement was contradictory to his party's stand that the UPA's presidential candidate should be a person with a vast political experience.

"There is no difference between the posts of president and the vice-president. How can you have different criterion for the two?'' a senior AICC leader asked.

Another leader wondered if Karat had missed the fact that half of India's vice-presidents went on to become president.

"Even assuming that the vice-president could be a non-political person, what happens if he becomes president by a quirk of fate?'' he asked.

However, political analysts said the Left could be looking for a non-political person to avoid a situation where, in the eventuality of their nominee becoming vice-president, both Houses of Parliament would have presiding officers from the Left camp.

The Congress feels this will be unprecedented and is unlikely to be acceptable to any UPA ally. Apparently to avoid an embarrassment, the Left may try to prop up names of intellectuals and academicians with no direct links with the party.

Sources said although Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee's name was floated for the post of vice-president, he seemed the most unlikely Left nominee.

Chatterjee's position as a Lok Sabha Speaker is in some ways equivalent or even higher than vice-president and so the Left sees no point in disturbing him.