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        Even before Smt Pratibha Patil had filed her nomination papers for the highest Office of the President of India, Aaj Tak TV had presented a graphic story about the sordid, mean and anti-social deeds and misdeeds of Smt Pratibha Patil in her official capacity as founder Chairperson and later Director of a women's Cooperative Bank in Jale Gaon in Maharashtra. Ever since then the dismal track record of this Presidential Nominee has become universal and common knowledge not only in India but throughout the world. When written allegations have been made by responsible journalists like Arun Shourie, Sandhya Jain, Prof Nalapat, apart from innumerable news reports in most of the news papers in India (both English and Vernacular newspapers in all the languages of India), all the enlightened citizens of India expected Smt Pratibha Patil to issue legal defamation notices to them and not talk like a mafussil politician verbally countering the charges. The most shameful aspect of the story is that the Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister P R Das Munshi has degraded himself to the level of a Taluk level lawyer by asking a silly question in defence of Smt Pratibha Patil's questionable public record: “Would all of you dare to lodge an FIR or charge sheet against Smt Pratibha Patil?”. By asking this abominably stupid question, P R Das Munshi has shown his unconcealed contempt for our Constitution, Law of the Constitution, Office of the President of India, Institution of Parliament and in short the Indian State. By rushing to the defence of Smt Pratibha Patil, he is in fact functioning as Defence Counsel for Sonia Gandhi who has proposed a candidate with such alleged criminal antecedents. The common man in the street in India today is asking the question: “Is P R Das Munshi functioning as Parliamentary Affairs Minister or as a Union Minister for Sonia Gandhi (Chairman, UPA Co-ordination Committee) Affairs?” The working motto of all Congressmen seems to be 'They also serve who suck in a spirit of self abasement bordering on self extinction, not for the sake of the Party but for the sake of one imperious individual'.
 

Bal Ganghadar Tilak (1856-1920)	Gopal Krishna Gokhale (1866-1915)	Mahadev Govind Ranade (1842-1901)	Maharishi Karve (1858-1952)	?????????

        Ever since 26 January, 1950 when Rajendra Prasad became the President of India, we have never had such an exceptional (in every sense of the word in thought, word, deed and misdeed!!) Presidential nominee as Smt Pratibha Patil against whom an avalanche of well founded and documented public allegations has been let loose in the larger national public interest. Today we have the news about bank defalcation cases wherein her relatives had raised loans in the names of employees of the Cooperative Bank of which Smt Pratibha Patil was the founding Director. The dues are reported to be still outstanding. A news item in today's papers has this to say “Her (Smt Pratibha Patil) nephew Randhir Singh Dilip Singh Patil operated the account of Kavitha Arvind Patil, wife of Bank employee Arvind Patil. Cash credit limit of Rs. 500,000 was sanctioned on 12 November 1992 when Smt Pratibha Patil was director. The audit report has clearly pointed out that the material supply shop for which the cash credit was sanctioned does not exist on the address given. The outstanding amount of Rs 8.4 lakh was written off. In another instance, her nephew Randir Singh Patil operated the account of Smt. Sangita Bahekar, wife of another employee. The audit report found out that the shop to sell biscuits and chocolates for which Bank credit was given does not exist. The total outstanding on this account to the extent of Rs 21.44 lakhs has been shown in the name of Smt Sangita Bahekar. RBI Report has clearly categorized these instances as FRAUD”.

        While no criminal action was taken against Smt Pratibha Patil and her relations, in Jale Gaon District itself the whole Board of Directors of Chalisgaon Peoples Cooperative Bank (who had no Sonia Congress political clout like Smt Pratibha Patil and her relations) was put behind the bars even as criminal proceedings were instituted in time against them. Is this not Sonia Congress Rule of Law? Is this not a classic instance of Sonia Congress Doctrine of the Principle of Equality of the Rule of Law?

        Shiv Sena Chief Bal Thackeray has given a death blow to the glorious political, religious, spiritual and cultural traditions of Maharashtra by his announcement that his party would not support the candidature of Bhairon Singh Shekawat and that they would extend their full support to the Congress sponsored candidate Smt Pratibha Patil. It has been said that Shiv Sena is extending its support for the main reason that Smt Pratibha Patil hails from Maharashtra. Right from the days of Shivaji (1627-1680) who braved the might of the Mughal Empire to the days of Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak (1856-1920) who declared that 'Swaraj is my Birth Right', Maharashtra has produced great leaders in the field of politics, administration, education, judiciary, literature and culture, social work and social reform. Mahadev Govind Ranade (1842-1901), Gopal Krishna Gokhale (1866-1915), Dr D R Bhandarkar, Justice N G Chandavarkar (1855-1923), Maharishi Karve (1858-1952), M R Jayakar, Bhulabhai Desai (1877-1946) and many other great luminaries instantaneously come to my mind. The common people of India would like to pose this question to Bal Thackeray “Do you seriously and earnestly think that Smt Pratibha Patil, in the event of her becoming the President of India, will not only maintain the glorious tradition established by these great Mahashtrians who have made history but also enrich it by her own monumental contribution, despite her established track record of dubious credentials?”

        Talking of Maharashtra and Maharashtrians, I would like to quote the words of Shri Aurobindo (1872-1950) from his preface to Srimad Bhagawad Gita Rahasya or Karma Yoga Sastra, written by Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak when he was in prison between 2nd November 1910 and 30th March 1911: “Tilak is the very type of the Maratha character, the Maratha qualities, the Maratha Spirit but with the unified solidity in the character, the touch of genius in the qualities, the vital force in the spirit which makes a great personality readily the representative man of his people. The Maratha Race, as their soil and their history have made them, are a rugged, strong and sturdy people; democratic in their every fibre; keenly intelligent and practical to the very marrow; ...in their drive towards life and action, capable of fervour, feeling and enthusiasm, like all Indian people, but not emotional idealists; having in their thought and speech, always a turn for strength, sense, accuracy, lucidity and vigor;... in their temperament, courageous, pugnacious, full of spirit,...born politicians, born fighters. All this Mr Bal Gangadhar Tilak is with a singular and eminent completeness, and all on a large scale, adding to it all a lucid simplicity and genius, a secret intensity, and inner strength of will, a single- mindedness in aim of quite extra-ordinary force, which remind one of the brightness, sharpness and perfect temper of a fine sword hidden in a sober scabbard”.

        The whole country—indeed the whole world outside India—knows what lies hidden in the showy and gaudy scabbard, loaded with skeletons known and unknown, of the Congress Presidential Candidate Smt Pratibha Patil.