New Delhi: June 30, 2007 (Saturday) - Sushma Swaraj has taken upon herself the special job of personal spokesperson for Mr. Shekhawat and is pleading him on the factual grounds.  She is making special efforts that only a good personality fit for the highest constitutional position of the country, should be installed as President of India; these are her personal views that she also carries as personal spokesperson for Mr. Bhairon Singh Shekhawat.

Mr. LK Advani, BJP,  also carries the identical views and has requested the PM to reconsider the name for the President who should justify the position.

Mr. Advani’s statement ends with an “appeal to “all the responsible leaders of the UPA” to “summon the courage to rise above partisan considerations and correct the mistake [of supporting Ms. Patil] when there is still time to do so.” In short, he suggested the UPA withdraw her name before July 4, the last date for withdrawal of nominations.

Before June 18 Ms. Swaraj was one of the spokespersons for the BJP parliamentary party — it was in that capacity she addressed the press in Parliament House.

Then on June 18 she announced at the residence of former Defence Minister George Fernandes, convenor of the NDA, that for the duration of the presidential polls the NDA had appointed her its spokesperson. “That is why,” she had pointed out, “her briefings for the NDA would be at the residence of the NDA convenor.”

It seems that a few days later some members of the NDA objected to the use of the NDA platform for projecting Mr. Shekhawat as not all of them, notably the Shiv Sena, were supporting him. In fact the Sena formally announced on June 25 that it supported the rival candidate Pratibha Patil, who is backed by the ruling coalition at the Centre, the Left parties and the Bahujan Samaj Party.

Two days ago Ms. Swaraj announced dramatically that she was no longer the NDA spokesperson but the mouthpiece of Mr. Shekhawat. On Friday she reiterated this when she was asked a question specific to the NDA. “I am not the spokesperson for the NDA. I am Mr. Shekhawat’s spokesperson,” she clarified.

Yet, just hours earlier when Ms. Swaraj met Election Commissioner Navin Chawla to demand “appropriate action” by the Commission in the matter of the presidential poll, she signed herself as Sushma Swaraj, MP, Rajya Sabha, Spokesperson, NDA, as per Hindu.

She was asked for her comment on a statement issued by Leader of Opposition L.K. Advani appealing to the ruling United Progressive Alliance to withdraw the candidature of Ms. Patil from the presidential poll. Her response: “I will not comment on Advaniji’s statement. Ask the BJP for its comment. I am spokesperson for Shekhawatji.”

Mr. Advani’s statement reiterated the allegations made by the BJP against Ms. Patil over the last one week by the various spokespersons of the BJP on the basis of dirt dug up on Ms. Patil by Mr. Advani’s aide, Sudheendra Kulkarni.

As per the circumstances, Sushma acted aptly and the Media should appreciate her views.