Cong delinks Patil from family

Indirectly acknowledging the gravity of allegations against close relatives of UPA presidential nominee Pratibha Patil, the Congress on Thursday sought to delink her from them arguing that “guilt is personal” and there is nothing like “associated guilt”.

Indirectly acknowledging the gravity of allegations against close relatives of UPA presidential nominee Pratibha Patil, the Congress on Thursday sought to delink her from them arguing that “guilt is personal” and there is nothing like “associated guilt”.

“Just as nobody chooses neighbours, nobody can choose the family,” senior Congress leader Devendra Dwivedi said at a press conference here on Thursday. While it was true that charges were being levelled against those in her family, there was not a single allegation of wrongdoing by her, he added.

Dwivedi said some people were trying to “cross-examine” the presidential candidate but it was not possible because “India is not going to be a banana republic”. “She is answering, but to people who are in the electoral college. It is in keeping with the dignity of the President’s office,” he said.

“The electoral college which will elect her as the next President is the proper forum where she will make her statements which will carry conviction and which will become a part of public domain,” he said.

Criticising BJP leaders for resorting to “innuendoes, half-truths, selective quotations and repeating what has been answered” against Patil, Dwivedi made a “personal appeal” to NDA presidential candidate Bhairon Singh Shekhawat to “restrain enfants terribles” of the BJP who were downgrading the institution of the President.

The Congress spokesman alleged that the Opposition had converted the presidential election into a “public trial”.