Office of profit row: Pranab to file reply today

UPA's Presidential nominee, Pranab Mukherjee, will file his reply to the returning officer at around 3pm this afternoon. This, after BJP back presidential hopeful PA Sangma accused him of holding an office of profit as chairperson of the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Kolkata.

UPA's Presidential nominee, Pranab Mukherjee, will file his reply to the returning officer at around 3pm on Tuesday. This, after BJP back presidential hopeful PA Sangma accused him of holding an office of profit as chairperson of the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Kolkata.

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Parliamentary affairs minister PK Bansal rejected PA Sangma's claim and objection, and said that Mukherjee resigned as chairperson of the ISI a week before he filed his nomination in the President's election and does not not hold any office of profit.

"He (Mukherjee) had resigned as chairperson, ISI, on June 20, a week before he filed his nominations."

Bansal, the authorised representative of Mukherjee, further said he and home minister P Chidambaram met Mukherjee after Sangma's claim and they were told by him of his resignation well in advance of filing the nomination.

On Monday, 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.