Sangma's camp raises fresh allegations against Pranab

Pranab Mukherjee (L) and P A Sangma (R)

In more acrimony in the run up to Indian presidential poll, opposition candidate P A Sangma yesterday sought the Election Commission's intervention for a fresh probe into his objections against the candidature of UPA nominee Pranab Mukherjee, levelling new allegations that he was still holding two more offices of profit.
After the meeting with Chief Election Commissioner V S Sampath, Janata Party President Subramanian Swamy, who was part of the delegation, claimed Mukherjee continued to hold two more offices of profit- - as vice president of Birbhum Institute of Engineering and Technology and chairman of Rabindra Bharti Society which forms the Rabindra Bharti University in Kolkata.
The EC has asked them to submit a written application by tomorrow evening.
The delegation also raked up the issue of Mukherjee's allegedly fabricated signature on his letter of resignation from the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) and its acceptance.
Mukherjee has denied the charge and said he resigned from ISI on June 20, a week before he filed his nomination for presidential elections.
However, Pranab Mukherjee's camp hit back at opposition-backed candidate P A Sangma for raking up fresh allegations against his candidature saying the campaign was being "vitiated".
"This only proves that the campaign for the highest office in the country is being vitiated," said Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, who is also the authorised representative of Mukherjee.