Union minister of state for rural development Agatha Sangma on Sunday said she has “nothing to do” with her father P.A. Sangma’s presidential bid.
Appealing to the media not to involve her in her father’s politics, the youngest minister in the Manmohan Singh ministry said, “I do not see any threat to my position following my father’s decision to join the race for the Raisina Hill. I will continue to be a member of NCP and UPA”.
Ms Sangma was here on a two-day visit to Chhattisgarh to attend a tribal meet at Jagdalpur, headquarters of Bastar district on Sunday.
Talking to media persons, she described her decision to participate in the tribal meet as purely “social” in nature, and not political. “I have decided to attend the meet following the invitation by senior tribal leader and former Union minister Arvind Netam. My visit to Bastar has nothing to do with any politics”, she added. Later, addressing the huge gathering of tribals from various parts of Bastar region at the meet, she called for unity of tribals across the country.
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Pranab, sangma on AP tour
Age Correspondent
hyderabad, June 24
The UPA and NDA-sponsored presidential candidates, Pranab Mukherjee and P.A. Sangma, would be visiting the state to muster support for their candidacy in the elections to be held in the third week of July.
Mr Mukherjee, the UPA’s candidate and current finance minister, would be in the city on July 1, after filing his nomination papers on June 28. He will address a meeting of Congress and Majlis-e-Ittehadul Musl-imeen MLAs and MPs at the Jubilee Hall. Sources said Mr Mukherjee is likely to call on Telugu Desam president N. Chandrababu Naidu, TRS chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao and YSR Congress leader Y.S. Vijayalaks-hmi to ask for their support for his candidature if they have not announced their choice by then. Mr P. A. Sangma, the NDA sponsored independent candidate and former Lok Sabha Speaker, would be in the city on Monday and would meet Mr Naidu, Mr Rao and Ms Vijayalakshmi.