Pratibha files 2 more nomination papers for Prez poll

New Delhi, Jun 30 (UNI) UPA supported independent candidate Pratibha Patil today filed two more sets of nomination papers here for the forthcoming Presidential elections, announced Parliamentary Affairs Minister P R Dasmunshi.

Addressing mediapersons here Mr Dasmunsi said Mrs Pratibha Patil's nomination papers were being proposed by a total of 265 MP/MLAs and seconded by another 275 MP/MLAs.

He said this includes MP/MLA's from all States and Union territories except that of Lakshadweep.

He said the first phase of election campaign of Mrs Patil will begin from Chennai tomorrow and the second phase of campaign will kick-off from July, he added.

Responding to the number of charges levelled against Mrs Patil by NDA, Mr Dasmunsi said when RBI cancelled the licence of the bank in question, Mrs Patil was neither the chairperson nor a director at that point of time in the bank and the RBI in its report has also named none.

He said when the bank's case came up for renewal during the NDA regime, they went by the advice given to them by the RBI and they did not write any adverse comments against the bank, he added.

Not only that, when Mrs Patil took the Rajasthan Governor's oath, neither the BJP nor the NDA raised any objection on that and only when the matter came up for the Presidential poll they have started raising all these allegations without any substance, he said.

The Parliamentary Affairs Minister said NDA on its own had tried to marginalise the honour of the statutory office of CAG when it raised objection on the " Operation Vijay". The party started critisising the CAG instead, he said.

UNI