PM rap stops UPA's smear Shekhawat campaign

SC dismisses PIL against Patil.

Following Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's directive that sharp practices and mudslinging against National Democratic Alliance (NDA) presidential candidate Bhairon Singh Shekhawat should cease, the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and its supporting parties today resolved to demonstrate unity through a "dignified" press release in support of their presidential candidate Pratibha Patil.

That the Congress-led UPA has been unnerved by daily reports of "scandals" that Patil and her family have been involved in, was clear from the emergence of a ginger group led by Priyaranjan Dasmnunshi and others who have argued in the party fora that an aggressive campaign against Shekhawat would not go amiss because "everyone has something to hide".

However, the PM is said to be of the view that there is no need to do this as "we have a winning candidate". Moreover, the first dose of the UPA campaign about Shekhawat, who allegedly quashed an FIR against his son-in-law and son when he became the Rajasthan chief minister in the 1970s, fell a bit flat as Shekhawat has no sons.

Today, in a signed statement targeted at the MPs and MLAs, who form the electoral college of presidential elections, Pranab Mukherjee (Congress), Lalu Prasad Yadav (RJD), T R Baalu (DMK), Sharad Pawar (NCP), E Ahamed (IUML), Sitaram Yechury [CPI(M)], E Ponnuswamy (PMK), Ram Vilas Paswan (LJP) and Gurudas Dasgupta (CPI) have appealed for Patil's victory.

This happened even as the Supreme Court rejected a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking cancellation of Patil's nomination papers in the face of allegations being levelled against her.

Reacting to the judgement, the BJP alleged that the petition was a "Congress-sponsored" litigation filed to give the party an opportunity to discredit the BJP's campaign against Patil.

The UPA's joint statement refers to the vicious campaign against Patil without naming the BJP.

"We strongly condemn the nature and tenor of the current campaign which cannot but dilute the norms that must form part of out political process," the statement says.

However, Lalu Prasad Yadav openly said that the smear campaign against Patil was being orchestrated by the L K Advani camp in the BJP. Launching a counter attack, Yadav alleged that Advani's alleged involvement in the murder of Gujarat BJP leader Hiren Pandya was pointed by none other than the father and wife of the slain leader.

Congress managers still have a faint hope that Shekhawat could withdraw from the contest on the directions of Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

"BJP's main motive in raking up frivolous charges against Patil was to prepare the pitch for the next General Election,'' a senior party leader said. With the purpose served, the party, he said, could not be interested in pursuing a losing electoral proposition in Shekhawat.

Tomorrow is the last day for withdrawal of nominations for the presidential poll in which Patil and Shekhawat are locked in a straight fight.