Stunned by the NDA allies' attack for behaving like a big brother in taking unilateral stand on the presidential election, the BJP on Tuesday clarified as a damage control that "whatever we do, we will do it along with the Opposition."

Party spokesman Shahnawaz Hussain told reporters that Opposition leader Sushma Swaraj has been quoted out of context to evoke sharp reactions from the NDA partners and he can vouch for it since he was with her on Monday when she talked to reporters.

Hussain asserted that there was nothing wrong in the BJP leaders discussing names and what Sushma had said was that there has to be "discussion in the BJP, then in the NDA and then with the larger Opposition." She only wanted to convey that there would be no deal with the Congress in the presidential election and no question of agreeing on Pranab Mukherjee as the candidate, he said.

He also asserted that Sushma made no reference to vice-president Hamid Ansari's political stature, though she had spoken on camera that "Mr Ansari does not have the stature to become the president and hence the BJP will not support him."

It was this remark that provoked Janata Dal (U) chief Sharad Yadav and he disapproved BJP's unilateral decision without consultations with other NDA partners even as the Left parties, Samajwadi Party and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) of Lalu Prasad declared that they will back Ansari if the Congress chooses to field him. The RJD even contemplated to bring a breach of privilege motion against Sushma for her disparaging remark against Ansari who is also the chairman of the Rajya Sabha.

Another BJP spokesman Rajiv Pratap Rudy claimed Sushma had spoken from the BJP platform and not that of the NDA, implying that she has not expressed any views on behalf of the NDA to anger the allies. "There is no rift between the BJP and the JD(U). It is mere speculation and interpretation which is uncalled for," he said pointing out that Sharad Yadav was only responding to tricky media questions.

Yadav, who is also the NDA convenor, said, "Whatever Sushma Swaraj has said is the opinion of the BJP. This is not our party's view. The issue was not discussed in any NDA meeting. The BJP has not discussed the issue with us." Rudy agreed the issue was not discussed in any NDA meetings.

Rudy said that Yadav was not expressing any resentment, but only stating the fact and said "we are two different parties and neither have we discussed this issue with the BJP nor have they".

Shiromani Akali Dal leader and Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal also said that there has been "no formal meeting" of the alliance so far and hence he cannot comment on who will be NDA's presidential candidate.

Yadav asserted that NDA has not discussed to support or put up the name of former president Abdul Kalam as the alliance candidate, indicating that the NDA cannot go by the diktat of the BJP.

The Left parties said they were discussing with other parties to explore if there can be a consensus on the name of the presidential nominee. "We have not thought of any individual names," CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat told reporters. CPI secretary D Raja said the four left parties are meeting here on Friday for "preliminary consultations."

Both the CPI(M) and CPI sources, however, indicated that they had no reservation against the Congress fielding Hamid Ansari or Pranab Mukherjee, but they are clear that they would not back Kalam. They said that even Mulayam Singh Yadav, who had suggested Kalam's name to the then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, is not backing him this time.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has propped up the name of former chief election commissioner James Michael Lyngdoh as a possible presidential candidate in an internal meeting chaired by Sonia Gandhi.

Sources said the party leaders seldom oppose Rahul's ideas, but some said that he may have developed a rapport with Lyngdoh conducting the Youth Congress elections. Everyone finally agreed that a man like him with independent views may not play the ball if the Congress-led UPA government is in any difficulty.