President Patil's date with controversies continues

President Pratibha Patil has been dogged by controversy every time she steps out of Rashtrapati Bhavan.

In fact she has been in the news even before she became the President of India. Her stepping out of Jaipur Raj Bhavan to contest the Presidential poll in itself was a controversy. It didn't take much time for her opponents to dig up scams from her political past followed by allegations that her family was misusing her position.

There was controversy again when Maharshtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh had to strongly defend the special security given to her husband Devisingh Patil.

Recently, there were objections over a proposal by Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel to build an airport in the President's native village in Amravati.

President Patil's visit to Nirmal Hriday of Missionaries of Charity in the Capital on December 19, too, was in the news for wrong reasons as traffic in the morning peak hours was brought to a halt to ensure her security causing great inconvenience to many.

Now there is another controversy from the Andamans where environmentalists are accusing the administration of destroying the ecology so that the President had a smooth stay during her visit on the third anniversary of the 2004 Tsunami.

Environmentalists have objected to alleged chopping of trees to facilitate the journey of the President and her cavalcade. Her entourage also included her family.

"Hundred of trees have been cut down because of the perceived threat of snipers taking a potshot at the VVIP," Samir Acharya, an environmentalist in Port Blair, said.

Andaman administration was quick to refute the charges and in fact President's office has asked for a detailed report on these allegations of environmental damage.

Courtesy:ibnlive.com
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