Bangalore: Pranab Feels UPA will Manage After his Shift to Rashtrapathi Bhavan

From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore

Bangalore, Jul 1: Congress-led UPA regime’s Presidential nominee Pranab Kumar Mukherjee feels the ruling alliance in Delhi will manage excellently after his shift to Rashtrapathi Bhavan.

Mukherjee, who quit as Union finance minister to file his nomination papers for the July 19 presidential polls, said the UPA would definitely manage and do better as there were several talented persons.

The Congress party has a long history of over 100 years and has the good fortune of being led by capable and dynamic leaders who have managed various challenges in the past, he said and pointed out that he was grateful for the trust and responsibilities reposed in him.

''If I am seen as a crisis-manager, it does not mean that the Congress party or UPA will face problems,” he said while addressing the Congress party’s legislators and MPs, including union ministers from the State like Mallikarjuna Kharge, M Veerappa Moily and K H Muniyappa, at the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee office in Queen’s Road in Bangalore on Sunday.

Answering questions from the media, Mukherjee said it was not correct and fair to give him all the credit for being the crisis-manager or troubleshooter of UPA. ''I have discharged my responsibilities because of the trust and confidence that the Congress President Sonia Gandhi and the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh showed in me. This role will be performed by other more capable and talented persons in future,” he said.

Mukherjee saw no reason to worry over his electoral prospects and was confident of securing the support from a wide section of the political spectrum, including the parties in the ruling UPA and other parties. He reiterated his appeal to West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamatha Banerjee to extend her party’s support  to him.

Mukherjee drove to the residence of former Prime Minister and JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda and thanked him for the support extended by him from his party. The JD(S) has 3 lok sabha members and 26 MLAs in the State.

The UPA presidential nominee had a surprise meeting with the former BJP minister Sriramulu, who is now heading the BSR Congress party in the State, and received the assurance of support. Sriramulu’s party has the backing of 5 MLAs and 2 lok sabha members.