Rashtrapati Bhawan no dumping ground: Pranab

Veteran Congress leader turned UPA Presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee left it to the posterity to judge his performance as the Union finance minister, seeking to downplay attack by his rival camp led by BJP-backed P A Sangma.

“Whether I have failed or succeeded as the finance minister, I have nothing to comment. Surely, the posterity would judge it,” Mukherjee said here at a press briefing, reacting to the latest utterings of Sangma who blamed the UPA candidate for the country’s current economic mess.

Mukherjee, however, took strong exception to Sangma’s reference of the Rahstrapati Bhawan as a ‘dumping ground’, stating, “I do not consider the Rashtrapati Bhawan as a dumping ground and this sort of phrase should not be used.”

“The Raisina Hill is being used as a dumping ground for the failed finance minister,” Sangma had said recently, stepping up attack on his opponent.

On doling out of a special package for Uttar Pradesh, Mukherjee said, “Whether any special package has been given and to whom it has been given, anybody can question it in the Parliament or seek information through the Right to Information (RTI) Act. But I cannot respond since I have ceased to be a minister.”

The former finance minister, who is considered to be a firm favourite for the country’s topmost honour, said he has support from a host of political parties, both supporters and non-supporters of UPA.

“From June 30, I have been visiting various states to thank the political parties that have pledged support to me. I hope to visit the uncovered states by July 15,” he said.

Earlier, Mukherjee was given a resounding welcome here at the Congress Bhawan by tribal artistes who had gathered from different parts of the state including Koraput, Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj.