Sharpening his attack on UPA rival Pranab Mukherjee, Opposition-backed presidential nominee P A Sangma today said Rashtrapati Bhavan was being used as a "dumping ground" for the "failed" former finance minister.
"The Raisina Hill is being used as a dumping ground for the failed finance minister," Sangma, who was here to mobilise support for his presidential bid, told reporters.
Asked if he was confident of a victory, Sangma said, "There are no ifs. I will win. I have never lost an election in my life. My winning margin has always increased."
Sangma appealed to Congress ally NCP and NDA constituent Shiv Sena, which has already declared support for Pranab Mukherjee, to back him. "I have come here to appeal to parties, specially NCP and Bal Thackeray to support my candidature."
On whether he would be meeting Thackeray, Sangma said, "Not everything in politics happens through meetings. Like you (media) have channels, we also have channels."
Sangma said he had served as a minister under three Prime Ministers but found the Vajpayee-led NDA government to be better. "NDA government under Vajpayee performed very well. No one can deny that," he said.
Describing law minister Salman Khurshid's reported comments that Congress was lacking in "ideological direction" as the "beginning of a political churning," 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," Sangma said. Purno Sagma, the presidential candidate of the BJP, BJD, AIADMK and several other parties, Tuesday lashed out at UPA presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee, terming him a "failed" finance minister, and at union Law Minister Salman Khurshid, saying he deserved to be sacked for his comments on the government.
Calling Mukherjee as the "failed" finance minister, he said the Rashtrapati Bhavan was being used as a "dumping ground" for him (Mukherjee). "Raisina Hill is being used as a dumping ground for the failed finance minister," Sangma told reporters during a visit to Mumbai to meet Bharatiya Janata Party legislators. He also took potshots at Khurshid's statements on the government having no direction and said it was completely uncalled for. "How can he say something like that? If I would have been prime minister, then I would have sacked him," Sangma said. Khurshid's statements on the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government and Rahul Gandhi had sparked off a political storm, with the minister saying that the UPA government was directionless and the Congress general secretary needed to take up more responsibility in the government.