The UPA-Left, in its first major offensive countering the NDA’s “smear campaign” against its presidential candidate Pratibha Patil, on Tuesday described the Opposition-backed Independent candidate B S Shekhawat as a long-time member of the “fascist” RSS.
Leaders of the UPA-Left, in a joint statement read out by the External Affairs Minister and senior Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee, accused the BJP-led NDA of destroying the sanctity of the Constitutional process by resorting to a smear campaign based on “frivolous” and “unfounded” allegations against Ms Patil.
While the statement, signed by senior leaders of the UPA and the Left, kept the language of the offensive dour, it was RJD’s Lalu Prasad who made the most scathing attack on Mr Shekhawat.
“Mr Shekhawat describes himself as an independent candidate, even though he is a member of the fascist RSS and the BJP. They are insulting a person who will soon be India’s first woman president by making false allegations, even though (slain Gujarat BJP leader) Haren Pandya’s father is directly accusing Chief Minister Narendra Modi and BJP leader L K Advani of being involved in his son’s murder,” Mr Prasad said.
‘Frivolous’
Mr Mukherjee, who pointed out that the Supreme Court had dismissed a PIL against Ms Patil, said: “Why should she answer (to the allegations). All the allegations are frivolous and unfounded, and not proved in any court of law. Is it required of the candidate to answer to such baseless allegations?”
“For god’s sake, please stop (the campaign),” he appealed to the BJP, pointing out that the Congress has refused to make any personal attack on Mr Shekhawat.
Asked whether Mr Shekhawat should resign as Vice-President since he was now contesting for the higher post, Mr Mukherjee, evading a direct reply, and said: “There are certain issues on which an individual has to take certain decisions at the right moment.”
In the statement, signed by Mr Mukherjee, Mr Prasad, Mr Baalu, Mr Pawar, IUML’s E Ahamed, CPM’s Sitaram Yechury, PMK’s E Ponnuswamy, LJP’s Ramvilas Paswan and CPI’s Gurudas Dasgupta, the UPA-Left said: “We strongly condemn the nature and tenor of the current campaign which cannot but dilute the norms that must form part of our political process, being a mature democracy.”
Incidentally, no Left leader was present at the joint show of support for Ms Patil despite having signed the “appeal to the electorate”.
Conscience vote
Debunking the NDA’s call to the electoral college for a “conscience vote” for Mr Shekhawat, Mr Mukherjee said: “All votes are conscience votes because the elected representatives exercise their voting right as per their conscience and vote according to the desire of the party on whose platform they have been elected to the legislature. Who says there is no conscience vote?”
Mr Mukherjee also singled out Mr Advani for his comment made during BJP’s recent national executive that Dr Manmohan Singh had been “handpicked” by Sonia Gandhi as the prime minister.
“What kind of language is this? The prime minister was not handpicked by anyone, he was unanimously chosen by the elected MPs. He is not an unknown personality in politics. He has been finance minister, leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha, and has conducted himself in the most elegant manner. We are proud of him,” he said.