UPA presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee here on Wednesday took a swipe at his opponent P A Sangma’s statement that Rashtrapati Bhavan was being used as a “dumping ground” for the “failed” former Union finance minister, reports Time of India.

“Whether I have failed or succeeded, surely posterity will judge. I will not like to comment on it. But I don’t consider Rashtrapati Bhavan a dumping ground. This sort of phrases should not be used,” Mukherjee told mediapersons, replying to a query the report said.

Mukherjee, who was on a whistle-stop trip to Bhubaneswar to “express his gratitude” to state Congress leaders, however, parried a query on Odisha CM and BJD president Naveen Patnaik’s charge that he had doled out funds to Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal as Union finance minister with an eye on the president poll. “I can’t respond to this question as I am no more in the government. This question can be asked in the Parliament, to the government or through Right to Information Act,” he said.

Pointing out that several UPA partners and also non-UPA parties have extended their support to him, Mukherjee hoped Mamata Banerjee’s TMC too would throw its weight behind him. “I understand she would take a decision three-four days before the election. I can only hope on that matter,” he said, responding to how hopeful he was on bagging TMC votes.

Earlier, while addressing Congress leaders, including MLAs and MPs, the 77-year-old criticized his rival (Sangma) in the presidential race without taking any name. “The President’s job is to preserve, to protect and to defend the Constitution. Let us not try to trivalise it. Let us maintain dignity of the high office,” he averred, adding, “Yes, there will be opposition....dissension in a democracy. But we should not degenerate (the polls) to malign or launch a slander campaign.” He further took an indirect dig at Sangma’s call for “conscience vote”, saying 99 per cent of those constituting the Electoral College for the president election were nominees of political parties. “Is it not a conscience vote to vote for the party of which the MLA or MP is a nominee?” he asked.

Hailing India’s success as a parliamentary democracy, Mukherjee, who was five-time Rajya Sabha and two-term Lok Sabha member, said since 1992, when Shankar Dayal Sharma was elected president, there has been a pattern with no single party having majority and a number of parties coming together to elect the president. The same pattern was seen in 1997, 2002 and 2007, he said, indicating that 2012 will be no different as majority of the parties are backing him.

“Various parties are supporting him because they consider the president poll non-partisan and there is no scope for maligning candidates or launching vilification campaigns,” he told Congressmen.

Recalling his school days in a backward district (Birbhum) in Bengal, Mukherjee said his early experiences and perceptions of development got imprinted in his mind and have been the motivating force in his public life.

Team will move SC if Sangma loses poll
Presidential candidate P.A. Sangma’s team Wednesday threatened to file an election petition in the Supreme Court against United Progressive Alliance nominee Pranab Mukherjee if the former Lok Sabha speaker loses the July 19 presidential poll.

“Our case has a strong merit but any election petition can be filed only after the result. We are confident that Sangma will win but in case he does not, we will challenge Mukherjee’s candidature,” BJP legal cell chief Satya Pal Jain said.

The decision was taken in a meeting attended by Jain, BJP leader and former law minister Ram Jethmalani and Janata Party chief Subramanian Swamy.
The meeting was called after the Election Commission Tuesday rejected team Sangma’s plea against Returning Officer V.K. Agnihotri’s July 3 order accepting Mukherjee’s nomination papers.

According to Jain, the apex court may dismiss the election petition, declare the election void and order fresh poll or declare the poll void and pronounce the other candidate the winner.