The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) quickly distanced itself from allegations made by the wife of a local Congress leader in Maharashtra that UPA’s Presidential nominee Pratibha Patil had influenced the investigation into the murder of her husband V G Patil in September 2005 to “protect” her brother G N Patil.

Rajani Patil, who had made these allegations to The Indian Express earlier this week, echoed them at a press conference held at Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa’s official residence in New Delhi. BJP and Akali Dal leaders kept away from the press conference though.

Rajani Patil had unsuccessfully tried to seek an audience with President APJ Abdul Kalam yesterday. She had written a letter to Congress President Sonia Gandhi five days after her husband’s murder. There was no mention of either GN Patil or Ulhas Patil in that letter, nor was any reference to political rivalry. In January 2006 she met Gandhi again and had a photograph taken with her.

Congress spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan strongly denied the allegations. “Pratibha Patil has absolutely no connection with these allegations. Clearly the Opposition, certain people who have not been able to find an appropriate person to match Pratibha Patil, are doing it. These are absolutely scandalous allegations and are totally baseless. Decorum of the Presidential election should be maintained,” she said.

NDA spokesperson Sushma Swaraj told reporters that the BJP-led opposition alliance’s fight with Patil was not “personal” but “ideological and political” and that it had no links with the news conference the woman held today.

... contd.