PA Sangma's challenge for debate 'non-starter': Congress

Congress on Friday dismissed as a "non-starter" PA Sangma's challenge to UPA nominee Pranab Mukherjee for a debate ahead of the Presidential polls, noting that the President is not supposed to manage the economy.

He also downplayed as 'idle talk' suggestions that the Congress is coming closer to Janata Dal(U) which broke ranks with BJP-led NDA and announced its support to Mukherjee.

"The Constitution does not ordain or mandate that the President of India manages the economy of the country. Therefore, the suggestion for the debate is non sequitur (a statement that does not logically follow the previous statement) and non-starter," Party spokesperson Manish Tewari told reporters in New Delhi.

He was responding to questions on Sangma's virtual challenge to Mukherjee for a debate alleging the country's economy is in a mess and "scams unmanageble".

"We are not in the habit of shooting the breeze (chat idly). We are narrowly focussed on the Presidential elections", he said.

He was asked that JD(U) leader Shivanand Tewari's statement that Mukherjee was not responsible for the mess in the Indian economy showed the growing proximity between Congress and the NDA constituent.

On questions whether Trinamool Congress will remain an ally of the UPA even if the party votes against Mukherjee in the Presidential poll, he said "spokespersons are trained not to answer questions that begin with 'íf'."

He also sought to avoid giving any value judgment on Samajwadi Party completing 100 days in office in Uttar Pradesh. Asked to rate the performance of Akhilesh Yadav government, he said "we are not in the business of marking numbers."

Asked whether the growing support for Mukherjee across the political spectrum indicates that the Finance Minister has more supporters than the party as a whole, Tewari said "Pranab Mukherjee has been an intrinsic and integral part of Congress since 1960s. He is the Presidential candidate of UPA of which Congress is an integral leading partner."

There is a view in a section of the party that while Trinamool Congress' opposition to Mukherjee's candidature is more of something personality-oriented, the different stands taken by different parties in NDA and the Left have brought out the division in these alliances.

Congress reckons Mukherjee's candidature has led to a churning in the politics of the country, diluting the anti-Congresssism witnessed during the two previous Bharat Bandhs in 2010 and 2012.

A party leader assesses Biju Janta Dal's backing to Sangma's candidature has more to do with an attempt to woo tribals in Orissa than any enlargement of NDA alliance.

About JD(U)'s breaking ranks with BJP to back Mukherjee candidature, the party leader felt the growing projection of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as Prime Ministerial candidate has created an unease in JD(U) which found its strong expression in the ally refusing to buy BJP's argument on President election.