E-Paper
Yechury predicts hung parliament
Senior CPM leader Sitaram Yechuri has claimed a "hung parliament would be voted in at the centre and NDA would lose 40 of its earlier seats".
Senior CPM leader Sitaram Yechuri on Monday claimed a "hung parliament would be voted in at the centre".
"No party will get absolute majority and NDA would lose 40 of its earlier seats," he told a meet-the press here.
He said the BJP was "now weak in several in several states including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Gujarat, Maharashtra and in North East".
Questioning BJP's claims of securing 300 seats Parliament, Yechuri also ridiculed opinion polls and said "they were giving wrong signals to the NDA".
Yechuri charged Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee of "having become panicky after the sari stampede incident in Lucknow" and speculated "he may change his constituency from Lucknow and contest from elsewhere".
"Prime Minister, after the sari stampede issue and his alleged asking of Congress supported independent candidate Ram Jethmalani to withdraw from the contest is showing signs of being panicky," Yechuri said.
"I wonder, he just may change his constituency and contest from elsewhere," he said.
Seeking to downplay the leadership issue within Congress, the CPM leader lambasted BJP for its accusations against Congress' alleged "inability" to find a leader and said "there are several who can lead the party".
"Projecting anyone now would amount to disrespecting the present contenders," he stated.
"However," he stressed "there are certain procedures that have to be followed and "they would be put in place after the elections and also depending upon necessity".
