New Delhi/Jalgaon, June 22: 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.

According to Rajani Patil, her husband had been murdered due to political rivalry and she alleged that GN Patil and former MP Ulhas Patil were behind the murder. Their names find no mention in the FIR though.

Rajani Patil said she has refused to immerse her husband’s ashes until the two are brought to book for her husband’s death and the urn containing the ashes is tied to a tree outside her residence at Pimprala in Jalgaon.

“My husband had defeated G.N Patil in the election to the office of the DCC president in April 2005. GN Patil and Ulhas Patil were unwilling to accept defeat. Their anger and hostility increased when my husband initiated an inner-party investigation into financial irregularities” allegedly committed by G N Patil,” she said in a memorandum.

It was on March 5, 2007, that Rajani Patil wrote to Sonia Gandhi again mentioning GN Patil and Ulhas Patil in connection with her husband’s murder. But even in that letter she made no reference to any political pressure being exerted by Pratibha Patil on the investigating agencies.

Investigating the murder case, the police arrested two people Raju Mali and Raju Sonawane for the murders and said that the crime had taken place as VG Patil had allegedly borrowed Rs 4.5 lakh from some people and failed to repay it. Two more suspects were arrested but let off later.

The case was transferred to the CID by the state government on September 30, 2005. Rajani filed a writ petition in the Bombay High Court’s Aurangabad Bench, and the investigations of the case were transferred to the CBI vide the court’s order dated February 23, 2007.

Rajani’s special leave petition in the Supreme Court demanding that G.N Patil and Ulhas Patil be made an accused in the case was dismissed in April.

Shantaram Gaikwad, Deputy Superintendent of Police, CID, in an affidavit filed before the Bombay High Court’s Aurangabad bench on January 30, 2006, said that he had investigated the crime taking into consideration her allegations. “However, during the course of my investigation I found no evidence or material to suggest that the political opponents of deceased Vishram Patil were in any manner involved in the conspiracy of his murder,” said his affidavit.

“I don’t blame Rajani Patil for making allegations against me. She is being misled by some local leaders,” said G N Patil, who alleged that V G Patil and Mali (who later died in custody), were involved in taking money from people to get their local schools approved by the state.

Ulhas Patil also denied the charges. “The allegations have no substance. The investigating agencies have examined the case from all possible angles. Rajani Patil is being used by some local Congress leaders to make allegations against me,” he said.

CBI officials said that hardly any progress has been made in the V G Patil murder case since the case was transferred to them barely two months ago. The agency had initially indicated to the Mumbai High Court that the case was not a fit one for a CBI inquiry but the High Court had nevertheless sought a CBI investigation.