•Ravish Tiwari: There are blocs that will not be together because of their domestic bipolarity, parties which don’t see eye to eye, like Jayalalithaa and Karunanidhi in Tamil Nadu. So will the Congress be a part of the Third Front Government?

The last time the DMK was in the Lok Sabha, the AIADMK was not there. They did not win a single seat. We are aiming for a situation where you will be able to overcome these problems but if you are not able to, then we will have to take the call again. Right now, along the east coast, NDA has lost all its allies. In UP and Bihar (with 120 seats), other parties are more dominant than the Congress or the BJP. So in 270 seats—or one half of the total seats—the main player is neither of them. In the last election, 30 per cent of votes went to non-BJP, non-Congress parties. And both of them formed a government with only about 35 per cent of the votes.

•Manoj C.G.: If you form the next government, what will be the factors in selecting the Prime Minister—the largest party or acceptability?

Both will play a role. We have a Constitution where the sovereignty of the people was established. Now, before the people elect their representatives, any discussion or choice of who will be the prime ministerial candidate shows a deep disrespect for the process. Theoretically, it’s possible that Mr Advani will be defeated from Gandhinagar; then will you still have him as prime minister?

... contd.