NDA releases booklet on Patil's 'taint,' Congress strikes back

The gloves seem to be off as far as the presidential elections are concerned, with both the UPA-Left and the NDA coming out openly to attack each other's candidate.

The NDA today quietly released a booklet, "Does this tainted person deserve to be the President of India?," on various cases against UPA-Left presidential nominee Pratibha Patil.

The booklet has two articles by former disinvestment minister Arun Shourie.

The release of the booklet comes a day after the Congress filed a petition in the Rajya Sabha secretariat seeking the disqualification of Natwar Singh for campaigning for the Samajwadi Party in the the UP Assembly polls.

The NDA insisted that the Congress was targetting Singh only because he was one of those who proposed NDA-backed candidate Bhairon Singh Shekhawat's name for president.

The alliance has decided to move the Election Commission against Patil for trying to use "undue" influence on the voters (read Natwar Singh).

The NDA booklet details the dealings of Pratibha Bank, which was set up to disburse loans for empowerment of women, and a murder case against Patil's brother in Jalgaon. Senior BJP leader L K Advani also used the term "tainted" for Pratibha Patil, and enumerated the pitfalls of having a "tainted" president.

In response, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunshi said the Election Commission should take note of Leader of Opposition LK Advani's call for a public campaign to "mount pressure" on MPs and MLAs of the UPA-Left to vote for Shekhawat.

"Is there is single report, a judgment, or even a single piece of paper which justifies calling Pratibha Patil a tainted presidential candidate,'' Dasmunshi said. He claimed the Congress would address the accusations against Patil in media on July 2, the day the UPA's presidential campaign begins.