Sangma seeks to clarify remarks on Raisina Hill

Facing criticism for his remarks on Raisina Hill being a dumping ground, BJP-backed Presidential candidate PA Sangma today said he had talked about the Congress deciding to field a candidate who had "failed" as a finance minister.

"No, I am not saying it is a dumping ground... I was saying in the context of Congress party sponsoring a finance minister who has failed (to steer) the economy of the country," he said at a press meet here.

"Be it price rise, devaluation of rupee, be it the GDP growth, be it FDI, everywhere it has failed... and you (Congress) are promoting him (Mukherjee). That was the context I had referred (dumping ground remarks)," Sangma said.

He was replying to a query if according to him Raisina Hill was a dumping ground why he was contesting for the July 19 presidential elections. Meanwhile, Mukherjee disapproved of Sangma's view that Rashtrapati Bhavan was being used as a "dumping ground".

"These sort of phrases should not be used," Mukherjee told reporters in Bhubaneswar. Referring to the several "differences of opinion" among the UPA, the NDA and the Left Front over the choice of candidates, Sangma said, "So this election results will be perhaps be very unexpected one."