Presidential candidate of the UPA, Pranab Mukherjee, who arrived here on Friday said that All-India United Democratic Front and Bodoland Peoples Front have extended their support to his candidature.
Mr Mukharjee who met the legislators of the Congress party of north-eastern states on Friday told reporters, “The UPA has already proposed my name for presidential polls so following the directive of leaders of members of political parties supporting me has to vote for my candidature. I have come here not for vote but to express my gratitude personally to all those members of Electoral College supporting me.”
Outright rejecting the idea of debate between the presidential candidates on national television, Mr Mukherjee clarified, “I have taken part in many debates in Parliament and many other forums but debate as candidate of presidential elections in India is not practical.”
Referring to the US and France where such debates are in practice, Mr Mukherjee said, “We are not in presidential form of government. President of India is vested with executive power but constitution says it has to be exercised by the President of India with the advice of the Council of Ministers.”
Asserting that he would not hesitate in extending advises to the government and parliament if necessity arises, Mr Mukherjee said that illustrious personalities of India starting from Dr Rajendra Prasad to Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed who were in the office of President has already prepared a road map which will make his task easier.
Mr Mukherjee is on a two-day visit to the northeast to meet members of the Electoral College as part of his countrywide campaign for the July 19 poll. Mr Mukherjee was received at the Lokopriyo Gopinath Bordoloi Intern-ational Airport by Assam CM Tarun Gogoi and APC president Bhubaneswar Kalita. The presidential poll nominee later drove to a city hotel where he met the CMs of Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh along with senior ministers of Manipur.