The Hindu : National : Shekhawat misusing office: Dasmunsi

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Wednesday, Jul 11, 2007
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Shekhawat misusing office: Dasmunsi

Anita Joshua

NEW DELHI: Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi on Tuesday accused Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat of misusing his office while campaigning for the Presidential election.

Mr. Dasmunsi, who is also Presidential candidate Pratibha Patil’s official representative, said many received calls over the past week from Mr. Shekhawat’s office, which said that “the Vice-President would like to speak to you.” And, when the Vice-President came on the line, it was invariably to seek support for his candidature. “We have no quarrel with Mr. Shekhawat campaigning for himself, but he should not be introducing himself as Vice-President when he makes these calls.”

Mr. Dasmunsi said: “I respect Mr. Shekhawat as Vice-President and salute his conduct as Rajya Sabha Chairperson. However, I feel pained when my colleagues in the electoral college receive calls from his office, which said the Vice-President wants to speak to them. Instead, he should be introducing himself as an independent candidate contesting the election with the National Democratic Alliance’s support.”

Senior Member of Parliament Rishang Keishing has described Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha L.K. Advani’s call for a conscience vote in the Presidential election as an “invitation for cross-party voting.” On the campaign against Ms. Patil, he said: “Such unethical and unprincipled mud-slinging is entirely in keeping with the traditions and usages of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. We had hoped that the experience of participating in our democracy would have matured you and your associates into the true spirit of democratic discourse, but clearly even a spell as Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister has not been able to wean you from the culture that has shaped your politics.”

Five other Congress MPs have, according to Mr. Dasmunsi, responded to Mr. Advani’s letter along the same lines. They are: Raashid Alvi, Jai Prakash Aggarwal, Karnendu Bhattacharjee, Jai Prakash and Karan Singh Yadav.

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