Today's public show of support by Congress leaders, Jagan says, is a precursor to a more formal bond. "I am a gentleman," he said. "And I'm doing the Congress a favour by not asking my people to resign. If I wanted to, I could've done that a long time back. The government would've fallen. But my people are very clear that in 2014, they will contest not on a Congress ticket but on my party's ticket."
