BJP ally JD(U) too expressed itself in favour of a consensus candidate for the presidential post on Wednesday but said it was for the ruling UPA to take initiative in the matter.
Party Chief Sharad Yadav stated it would be ideal in the current political scenario if there was a consensus candidate for the post but it was for the UPA to evolve a consensus as the Congress-led coalition was in power.
"This is a serious matter.One cannot speculate on it. Most of the names being floated are mere rumours," he said while refusing to comment on who his party favoured for the top job.
Earlier NDA Chairperson Atal Bihari Vajpayee too had announced that he was in favour of a consensus candidate. He has been authorised by the coalition to choose their nominee for the position.
Meanwhile, on UPA Government completing three years, Yadav launched a sharp attack on it saying that its report card was a meaningless and hypocritical exercise as its economic policies had benefited only a section of the people.
"I endorse (Cabinet minister) Mani Shankar Aiyar's view that only a handful of people have benefited from the UPA Government's policies. The
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has continued to suffer due to the steep rise in prices of essential commodities," he said.
The government's faulty policy of allowing SEZs and entry of big business houses in retail had only led to more unemployment , Yadav deplored while pointing out that as many as four crore people were engaged in retail trade which is the second largest employment generating activity next to agriculture.