NEW DELHI, India, June N21, Reuter: Indian Opposition parties today picked a retired Supreme Court Judge, Krishna Iyer, to oppose Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s Party in crucial Presidential elections next month. The Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency said Iyer was chosen by a committee of politicians after President Zail Singh declined to seek a second term as an opposition candidate.

Relations between Gandhi and Singh have been strained in the past four months because of an exchange of letters over the powers they wield under the Indian constitution and Singh’s demand to be briefed on corruption charges leveled against Gandhi’s government.

Iyer, 72, will oppose Singh’s Deputy, Vice-president R. Venkataraman, in a July 13 poll which is regarded as a major test of strength for Gandhi within his own Congress (1) Party.

The Opposition failed earlier today to forge joint front to back Iyer when India’s main Communist Party, the Communist Party of IndiaMarxist (CPIM), pulled out of the committee in protest against lyer’s nomination, PTI said.

The CPIM withdrawal left only the Chiefs of the Opposition Janata and Telugu Desam parties Chandra Shekhar and N.T. Rama Rao  to decide on Iyer’s name tonight.

But in a subsequent development, the CP M decided to back Iyer after learning that Singh would not stand.

It took the decision after meeting leaders of India’s other main communist grouping, the Communist party of India.

PTI said the rightwing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which allied itself with the Lok Dal (People’s Party) to crush Gandhi’s party in state polls in Haryana last week, had declined to support Iyer.

Indian newspaper said today that several opposition leaders and Congress (1) dissidents, shocked by their Party’s humiliating defeat in Haryana, were trying to persuade Singh to seek reelection as an opposition candidate in a bid to topple Gandhi.

A defeat for Venkatraman could lead to a revolt in the Congress (I) against Gandhi’s leadership, which has been under attack over a wide range of issues.

They include his failure to curb violence in Punjab and his mobility to help the Congress (1) win elections in three states this year.

Article extracted from this publication >>  June 26, 1987