On Patil’s bank issue, BJP takes potshot at Left

The BJP on Monday stepped up the attack on UPA-Left presidential candidate Pratibha Patil over the cooperative bank issue. The party said Patil herself should respond to charges involving her as also her family members. The BJP also sought to embarrass the Left by asking why they were silent on the NPA (non-performing assets) of the bank promoted by Patil.

Party spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters that allegations against Patil were “not our creation” but are in public domain as documents show that she had given “reckless advances” without security to her relatives.

He said no amount of explanation from the Congress or its “spokesman” Left parties would do in the matter as they had themselves projected in Patil’s bio-data she had worked substantially in the cooperative sector for the empowerment of women.

Prasad said the matter was serious as the cooperative bank floated by Patil faced closure following an adverse RBI report.