Don't be perturbed by baseless charges, says Pratibha Patil

Bhopal, July 11 (UNI) UPA Presidential candidate Pratibha Patil today advised her supporters to fulfill their responsibility to uphold the basic principles and secular values ''unperturbed by attempts of character assassination''.

''We have a responsibility to uphold the dignity of the high office as enshrined in the constitution'', she told a gathering of MLAs and MPs from Madhya Pradesh while seeking their support in the Presidential election scheduled on July 19.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, Congress spokesman Satyavrat Chaturvedi said Mrs Patil also conveyed her gratitude to the people's representatives belonging to Congress and other parties for extending their support.

Besides Congress legislators, NCP MLA Hamid Kazi and Rashtriya Samanata Dal leader Harsh Singh also attended the meeting, Mr Chaturvedi said, adding three Congress MLAs did not turn up after advance notice due to unavoidable circumstances.

Bahujan Samaj Party and CPI(M) also supported Mrs Patil's candidature, he said.

Union ministers Arjun Singh, Suresh Pachouri, Kantilal Bhuria and Prithviraj Chouhan, Congress General Secretaries Digvijay Singh and V Narayanasami also attended the meeting at a city hotel.

After her brief interaction with her supporters here, Mrs Patil left for Jaipur by a special aircraft. She is also scheduled to visit Raipur this evening before returning to New Delhi.

Earlier, she was given a rousing on her arrival at Bairagarh airport here.

UNI