New Delhi: Congress today (Mar 11, 2004) virtually ruled out the idea of fielding joint Opposition candidates against Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, Human Resource Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi and other top leaders of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

"You are assuming an all-India alliance of Opposition parties (which is not the case). We have no alliance with CPM (Communist Party of India-Marxist) and also with some other parties," senior party leader Pranab Mukherjee told reporters, suggesting it would be difficult to ensure one-to-one fight against NDA in key constituencies in the Lok Sabha polls.

The idea of joint Opposition candidates against prominent NDA leaders was mooted by the CPM in a move to give the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led coalition a run for its money.

Eminent lawyer Ram Jethmalani had also expressed his willingness to contest a few days back against Prime Minister in Lucknow if he was made a joint Opposition candidate.

Mukherjee, who addressed the press conference along with the Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit after releasing a chargesheet against the Vajpayee Government, said the intention behind Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani's "Bharat Uday" yatra was to replace Atal Bihari Vajpayee as Prime Minister.

"Advani is taking so much trouble in Rath Yatra while he can simply walk from North Block to South Block as it is the whole purpose of the journey," he quipped.