Home>News Center>World
         
 

Gandhi walks away from Indian PM post
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-05-18 23:18

Italian-born Sonia Gandhi dropped out of the race to become India's prime minister Tuesday to end debate over her foreign birth, opening the way for her Congress party to choose an economic reformer as its leader.

Gandhi is now pushing former finance minister Manmohan Singh, the architect of India's reforms, for the post, NDTV said.


Sonia Gandhi

The withdrawal by the heir of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty -- India's equivalent of America's Kennedys -- triggered anguished scenes outside her New Delhi home as hundreds of supporters rallied to press her to change her mind.

One man stood on the roof of a car, held a home-made gun to his head and waved a stick to deter people trying to calm him.

"Call Sonia Gandhi! Tell her I will kill myself if she doesn't become prime minister!" he said before being disarmed.

Others lay down in the street or torched effigies of Gandhi's Hindu nationalist opponents, who have run a bitter campaign targeting her Italian background after their humiliating election loss last week.

"Congress has informed us that Mrs Gandhi will no longer be leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party, and they are meeting to elect a new leader," said Sitaram Yechuri, a leader of the main Communist Party of India (Marxist), which has pledged its support to a Congress coalition government.

Congress lawmakers were due to choose a new leader at a meeting set for 7 pm in parliament's central hall, the same place where they anointed Gandhi PM-elect just three days ago under the portraits of former family PMs.

Congress leaders were making frantic last minute efforts to persuade Gandhi to stay on and become India's first foreign born prime minister and the fourth from the Nehru-Gandhi clan.

Her withdrawal, and the prospect of Singh leading Asia's third-largest economy, spurred markets, helping stocks on the Bombay exchange post their second-biggest daily rally just a day after the worst plunge in the exchange's 129-year history.

At Gandhi's residence, Congress leaders, some beating their chests, urged the 57-year-old widow of slain former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi to ignore what they called the ousted Bharatiya Janata Party's "racist" campaign.

"She feels the country comes first, she does not want the country to be faced with this," said Congress official Salman Khursheed. "We are stunned, it is shocking, I just can't see the Congress party accepting such an outcome."

Left-wing parties, with more than 60 seats, are supporting Gandhi without formally joining her coalition, but have spooked markets with anti-privatization comments.

As news of Gandhi's possible withdrawal filtered out, the stock market rebounded sharply and recorded one of its biggest gains.

"The market has gone up because of news that Sonia is reluctant to be PM," said Bharat Shah, director of Vikram Kenia Securities. "This means that Manmohan Singh, who is very reformist, will become prime minister."

Gandhi, an Indian citizen, and Singh met President Abdul Kalam earlier Tuesday to open talks about forming the government. Gandhi said later she would meet Kalam again today.

Kalam had invited Gandhi to meet him as leader of the biggest party in the new parliament, and is likely to accept Congress' claim to power in the country.

 
  Today's Top News     Top World News
 

WHO: China's SARS outbreak contained

 

   
 

Taipei urged not to misjudge Beijing's resolve

 

   
 

US witness: 'Cover-up' at Iraq Abu Ghraib

 

   
 

Gandhi walks away from Indian PM post

 

   
 

US delegation to Taiwan opposed

 

   
 

Soldier on trial for Iraq prisoner abuse

 

   
  Honduran troops complete withdrawal from Iraq
   
  Rafah residents 'living in hell'
   
  Iraqis demand more power, US holds abuse trial
   
  Gandhi walks away from Indian PM post
   
  Israel kills 20 Palestinians in big Gaza raid
   
  Typhoon toll rises to 19 as Philippines mops up
   
 
  Go to Another Section  
 
 
  Story Tools  
   
  News Talk  
  Scandal over humiliation of Iraqi prisoners  
Advertisement
         
主站蜘蛛池模板: 久久久久久人妻一区二区三区| 欧美成人免费午夜全| 波多野结衣无内裤护士| 最近中文字幕视频高清| 成人免费的性色视频| 国精无码欧精品亚洲一区| 国产在线果冻传媒在线观看| 免费观看的毛片| 亚洲AV无码潮喷在线观看| 东北少妇不戴套对白第一次| 性xxxx黑人与亚洲| 欧美jlzz18性欧美| 精品国产不卡一区二区三区| 欧美色欧美亚洲高清在线观看| 日韩欧美国产电影| 女人18毛片水最多免费观看| 国产无遮挡又黄又爽在线视频 | 国产欧美久久一区二区| 午夜a级理论片在线播放| 亚洲喷奶水中文字幕电影| 中文字幕在线久热精品| 1区2区3区产品乱码免费| 精品亚洲456在线播放| 最近中文字幕免费mv视频7| 好吊妞788gaoc视频免费| 国产成人免费全部网站| 人人爽人人爽人人片av免费| 久久久久亚洲av无码专区| 91精品国产麻豆福利在线| 老师您的兔子好软水好多动漫视频| 欧洲美女与动zozo| 天堂中文在线资源| 午夜男女爽爽影院网站| 久久综合香蕉国产蜜臀av| 99久久综合狠狠综合久久aⅴ| 美女视频一区二区| 晓雪老师下面好紧好湿| 国内精品久久久久久99蜜桃| 免费观看国产小粉嫩喷水| 久久伊人中文字幕| 男人天堂2023|