Swamy fires a fresh salvo against Pranab, says he still holds offices of profit

Team Sangma consisting of Janata party President Subramanian Swamy today fired a fresh salvo against UPA's presidential nominee Pranab Mukherjee citing that the former finance minister holds two more offices of profit besides the Chairmanship of the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI).

According to Swamy, Mukherjee still holds positions with the Ravindra Bharti society and Birbhum Institute of Engineering and Technology, which are deemed offices of profit.

As per the allegations made, Mukherjee is the Chairman of the Ravindra Bharti Institute and the Vice-President of the Birbhum Institute.

Talking to the media, Swamy accompanied by BJP's Satpal Jain, said: "Today we met the chief election commissioner and told him that under Article 324 the election commission is empowered to look after the scrutiny of nomination. Election commission can interfere at any time. We want that they should interfere and should give final decision over the issue."

"I have got to know that he (Pranab Mukherjee) is the president of Birbhum Institute Of Technology which is in Bengal and it is still running on government's funds. e is also the Chairman of Rabindra Bharati Society," Swamy added.

Jain, however, claimed that the Election Commission's Returning officer (RO) V K Agnihotri had not yet looked in to the genuineness of Mukherjee's signature.

Jain said that the returning officer was bound to look into the complaints raised but had not done them yet.

Former Lok Sabha speaker and BJP-backed contestant P.A. Sangma had earlier said his legal team is going through the returning officer's ruling in the Mukherjee office of profit case.

"We have received a certified copy of the ruling. I have gone through it and my legal team will be meeting to study the ruling of the Returning Officer. After the legal committee has studied it the full election campaign committee will meet and decide about the future course of action," said Sangma, who also enjoys the support of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the AIADMK in the race for Raisina Hill.

The Election Commission had directed Agnihotri to give details of the scrutiny proceedings and the order rejecting Sangma's objection to Mukherjee's candidature to him.

Mukherjee, who had earlier denied that the signature on his letter of resignation from the Kolkata-based Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) was 'forged', however, avoided comment on the issue of him allegedly forging his signature, saying it was left to the former to take any step they wished.

"Look, I would not like to comment on these issues. It is for them to do whatever they like," Mukherjee told media.

The presidential elections will be held on July 19. The vote count will take place on July 22.

Pratibha Devisingh Patil's term as President ends on July 24.