Kolkata: Pranab Mukherjee was made the UPA Presidential candidate not as a reward, but to get rid of him as he was a burden in financial management, BJP national spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain alleged on Saturday.
"His nomination for the post of President is not a reward for his performance, but for his non-performance," Hussain told reporters.
"Congress is celebrating that Pranab is no more the finance minister. They are reversing the decisions taken by him. He was not an asset, but a burden in financial management and to get rid of him he has been made the candidate," he claimed.
On CPI(M)'s support to Mukherjee's candidature, Hussain said the Congress has always close to the Communists.
"Congress and the CPI(M) have always been together. They disagreed only on the nuclear deal. Even Pranab Mukherjee has old relations with the CPI(M). The two parties are like brothers in Delhi," Hussain said.
On the controversy over Mukherjee's resignation as ISI chairman, he said his party would take the issue further.
Stating that his party was not consulted on the presidential candidate, the BJP leader said the Congress should not expect any support from them now.
He also questioned Home Minister P Chidambaram's statement raising concern on political clashes in West Bengal saying that the issue was raised suddenly.
"The BJP wants to know from him whether he is serious about the issue or the statement is a tactic to put pressure on Mamata ahead of the Presidential elections," he said.
On Chidambaram being appointed as the head of a group of ministers (GoM) on spectrum auction, he said the decision by Congress has not given a good message.
"He has been given relief only by a lower court in the 2G case, but now it is in a higher court," Hussain said.
Describing BJP as the only opposition party left in West Bengal, the senior BJP leader said, "CPI(M) has still not been able to come out of its past of being the ruling party. They are not playing the role of opposition here."
PTI
First Published: Saturday, July 07, 2012, 16:56