India's Congress President Sonia Gandhi decided Tuesday not to become prime minister and a senior leader Manmohan Singh could head the new coalition government.

 

The dramatic development over the new government formation took place Tuesday afternoon when Gandhi, who had met President A P J Abdul Kalam in the morning and was to meet him again on Wednesday, dispatched party seniors to leaders of allied parties, conveying her decision not to take up the top post, the Press Trust of India reported.

 

The general body of the Congress Parliament Party (CPP), which had elected Sonia as leader of the CPP on Saturday, would meet later in the day, apparently to elect a new leader.

 

The allies were also told that her decision was final and that they should not insist upon her becoming prime minister.

 

Manmohan Singh met M Karunanidhi, chief of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, one of the major allies, Tuesday afternoon to convey her decision, the PTI report said.

 

Singh also met Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Harkishen Singh Surjeet and told him of Gandhi's decision.

 

Meanwhile, the allies have assured the Congress leaders that they would fully back any leader of the Congress party in the formation of the new government, while they would prefer it to be Sonia Gandhi.

 

The defeated Bharatiya Janata Party had said it would boycott Gandhi's swearing-in because she was not an Indian by birth, even though she has held citizenship since 1984.

 

(Xinhua News Agency May 19, 2004)