Pratibha to place facts before the nation : Congress

New Delhi, June 28 (UNI) Battered by a slew of allegations, UPA-Left Presidential Candidate Pratibha Patil will explain her side in respect of each of the charges after July 4, the last date for withdrawal of nominations for the July 19 poll.

"She is going to place all the facts before the nation," AICC Spokesman Devender Dwivedi told mediapersons today at the routine briefing at the Party headquarters.

Asked why she had not refuted any of the allegations raised by the Opposition NDA and also the media, he said " just wait a little bit." He said there was a need for a holistic picture to emerge.

"Personal culpability is the only thing that is important in public life. There is no personal involvement of Ms Patil in any of the cases alleged against her." Mr Dwivedi said the timing of her public appearance would be decided shortly.

However, party sources said she would explain her side only after the last date for withdrawal of nominations.

Ever since the candidature of Ms Patil was announced, she has been facing one charge after an other. The first salvo against Ms Patil was fired by Rajani Patil who came to the capital city from her town in Maharashtra to allege that Ms Patil had shielded her brother who was behind the murder of her (Rajani's) husband as part of a rivalry in the party's district level election.

Another charge was that Ms Patil's husband had driven a teacher to commit suicide and that the High Court had twice refused to quash proceedings against Ms Patil's husband, Devi Singh Shekhawat.

It was also alleged that a cooperative bank founded by Ms Patil was shuttered due to a poor loan recovery and abnormal increase in NPAs. She was also alleged to have favoured many of her relatives through loans from the bank.

Meanwhile, Information and Broadcasting Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi said nothing substantial had been alleged against Ms Patil.

"These are stories and not allegations," he said.

Pointing out that 20 'uncalled-for stories" had been unleashed against Ms Patil, Mr Dasmunsi said, "a unsubstantiated and malicious campaign is built around Ms Patil as if it is the Presidential election of the United States where preferential form is the system adopted." In India, the President is elected by the electoral college which consists of a "conscious' electorate like MPs and MLAs, he said.

UNI