India: Opposition Says Pranab Mukherjee Can't Contest Presidential Poll

NEW DELHI (NNN-INDIANEXPRESS) -- Opposition Presidential nominee P A Sangma Monday sought the cancellation of Pranab Mukherjee's nomination as President on grounds that he is chairman of the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI).

In a complaint to the Secretary General, Rajya Sabha, who is the returning officer for the Presidential election, Sangma's lawyer Satpal Jain demanded that Mukherjee's papers be cancelled at the scrutiny stage as he holds an office of profit.

Jain said that Mukherjee is chairperson of ISI and, hence, cannot contest the Presidential poll under the Office of Profit rules.

However, Parliamentary Affairs Minister P K Bansal emphatically refuted Sangma's charge, stating Pranab Mukherjee had resigned from the post well before he filed nominations for the Presidential polls.

The Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) Monday said that Pranab Mukherjee resigned as chairman of the ISI council on June 20, much before filing his nomination as the presidential candidate, though his name was still on its website.

"Pranab babu has already submitted his resignation as ISI council chairman on June 20. But by mistake, Mukherjee's name continues to be on the ISI official website. It still consists of names of several retired and veterans of ISI," an ISI official said here.

The official also said, "This has nothing to do with his resignation as union finance minister," he said.

Stating that the ISI council chairman's post was not an office of profit, the official said, "Pranab babu's post of chairman was literally an honorary post. He never received any honorarium and there was no reimbursement on his travel expenses."

Monday is the last day for the scrutiny of forms for the Presidential election. The last date of withdrawal of candidature is July 4.

This is the second high-profile instance involving a leader under the Office of Profit rules. Congress chief Sonia Gandhi had resigned her Lok Sabha seat in 2006 when there were objections that as Chairperson, National Advisory Council (NAC), she was holding an Office of Profit. She contested and won the Rae Bareli seat again.

Later, the Office of Profit rules were amended and Chairperson, NAC, was exempted from it. Gandhi again became Chairperson of the body in March 2010. -- NNN-INDIANEXPRESS