‘If India Block wins, PM will be elected in 48 hours…’, Jairam Ramesh told the selection formula

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Thursday said that the India Block will get an absolute majority in the Lok Sabha elections and after that the Prime Minister will be selected within just 48 hours. Whoever gets more seats in the alliance will also have a higher claim for the post of PM. In an interview with PTI on the last day of campaigning for the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections, the Congress General Secretary (Communication) expressed confidence that the INDIA Bloc will get much more seats than the figure of 272.

Said this on Nitish Kumar

The Congress leader also said that if the India Block government is formed, then the NDA allies can also join the alliance, although the decision whether to include them or not will be taken by the Congress high command. Jairam was asked whether the doors will be open for NDA allies like Nitish Kumar and TDP President N Chandrababu Naidu after the elections.

Difference of two I between NDA and INDIA

In response to this question, he said, Nitish Kumar is an expert in doing U-turns. Naidu was in alliance with Congress in 2019. Ramesh said that there is a difference of two I’s between India and NDA – I for humanity and I for honesty. Parties which have honesty and humanity but are in NDA will join the India Block. The government that will be formed after getting the mandate from the people will not be a dictator’s government, but the government of the people.

Commented on PM Modi’s meditation tour

Commenting on PM Modi, he said, ‘Interestingly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is going to Vivekananda Rock Memorial and will be meditating for two days. The same Vivekananda Memorial from where Rahul Gandhi started the Bharat Jodo Yatra on September 7, 2022. I am sure he (Modi) must be meditating on what life will be like after retirement.’

We will get a clear and decisive mandate: Jairam Ramesh

When asked about the assessment of the political situation at the ground level after six phases of polling, Ramesh said, “I do not want to go into numbers, but I am just saying that we (India Block) will get a clear and decisive majority. 273 is a clear majority, but it is not decisive, when I say clear and decisive I mean much above 272 seats.”

He claimed that the results of 2004 will be repeated again in 2024. Jairam Ramesh also claimed that the Congress will get a good lead in Rajasthan, Karnataka, Telangana and Maharashtra.

He said, “We will improve our position in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Assam. Overall, we are moving towards a situation like 2004, after twenty years. Ramesh said that Congress will also benefit in Uttar Pradesh and the BJP cannot improve its 62 seats of 2019. When asked about the alleged June 1 meeting of India Block partners, Ramesh said that he did not have any authentic information that a meeting is going to be held on that day, but the leaders of the India Block will definitely meet.

What did he say on the selection of the PM post?

On the selection of the PM, Jairam Ramesh said, “In 2004, the election results came on May 13 and the UPA was formed on May 16. Dr. Manmohan Singh’s name as PM came out on May 17. It took less than three days for Dr. Singh’s name to come out, although everyone knew it. Sonia Gandhi had made her intentions clear not to accept the post of Prime Minister.

He said, “But this time I don’t think it will take even 48 hours (to decide on the selection of the Prime Minister). The leader of the alliance will be chosen in a few hours. It is logical that the party which gets the most votes will be the natural contender to lead the alliance and form the government.

‘Whoever has the most seats…’

Asked if the Congress is likely to emerge as the party with the most seats in the India Bloc, Jairam Ramesh said, “You can interpret my statement in whatever way you want but the fact is that in a coalition, if all parties are going to participate in the government, it is because the party which has the most seats is going to lead that coalition in Parliament.”

Asked if it would be easy to build a consensus on the selection of the prime minister, the Congress leader said the coalition’s slogan is ‘Main nahi hum, mera nahi humara’. On critics saying that such a diverse coalition may not be good for stability, Ramesh said Manmohan Singh’s 10-year run of the UPA coalition government is the best proof of this. He said, “We are committed to giving a stable, transparent, responsive and responsible government.”