Congress spokesperson and information and broadcasting minister Ambika Soni lashes out at Mamata Banerjee. She says Mamata Banerjee's move in naming the prime minsiter as a presidential candidate is unethical as is her disclosing the names of Pranab Mukherjee and Hamid Ansari. "This kind of thing has never happened before and shows such a lack of courtesy that too by mentioning a sitting PM's name," says Soni and added that Mamata had not even bothered to consult the PM.

She said that the Congress was still continuing consultations with its allies.  "It's an ongoing process. Sonia Gandhi has to decide whether it will take two rounds or three rounds. She will take as long as it takes to get a single name to emerge as a political consensus," said Soni.

Incidentally, Mamata Banerjee will not meet the PM despite a request from the PMO.