Mumbai:
Sharpening his attack on Pranab Mukherjee, BJP-backed presidential nominee PA Sangma today said Rashtrapati Bhavan was being used as a "dumping ground" for the "failed" former Finance Minister. Mr Sangma is contesting against Mr Mukherjee in the presidential polls.
"Raisina Hill is being used as a dumping ground for the failed Finance Minister," Mr Sangma, who was in Mumbai to mobilise support for his presidential bid, told reporters.
Asked if he was confident of a victory, Mr Sangma said, "There are no ifs. I will win. I have never lost an election in my life. My winning margin has always increased."
Mr Sangma also appealed to Congress ally NCP and NDA constituent Shiv Sena to back him. Both parties have already declared support for Pranab Mukherjee.
"I have come here to appeal to parties, specially NCP and Bal Thackeray's Shiv Sena," Mr Sangma said. He had quit the NCP last month, as the Sharad Pawar-led party did not want him to go against the Congress' decision and run against Mr Mukherjee.
On whether he would be meeting Mr Thackeray, Mr Sangma said, "Not everything in politics happens through meetings. Like you (media) have channels, we also have channels."
Mr Sangma added that he had served as a minister under three Prime Ministers but found the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government better. "NDA government under Vajpayee performed very well. No one can deny that," he said.
The former Lok Sabha Speaker also talked about Law Minister Salman Khurshid's reported comments that Congress was lacking in "ideological direction". Describing it as the "beginning of a political churning," Mr Sangma said there would be a lot more "upheavals" in the days ahead.
"Despite making these remarks, how is Khurshid continuing in the Union Cabinet. Why is he not being sacked? This means that it is not he but 10, Janpath which is saying these things," he claimed.
"I have been saying that this poll is going to be a political churner. The churning has started with Khurshid's statement," Mr Sangma added.