Ravi Shankar Prasad, Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson and a noted advocate, said the allegations against United Progressive Alliance-Left candidate for presidential poll Pratibha Patil about her financial deals with the banks were made by the unions of the organisations, and they were not being made by the party.

"We are asking these questions because they are in the public domain. The matter is pending in the Aurangabad high court. Neither the Congress party nor the Communist Party of India-Marxist should become spokespersons in this case

"The answer should come directly from Pratibha because the allegations are serious wherein the Reserve Bank of India [Get Quote] passed a directive and the licence of the Pratibha Cooperative Bank was cancelled," he said.

While clarifying the position Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Yadav had said that the outstanding amount against the sugar mill run by Pratibha's family was Rs 58.26 crore and not just Rs 17.5 crore as mentioned in news reports, which forced the government to change its stand to say that the law would take its own course.

BJP's two-day national executive began two hours late to allow Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat to file his nomination on behalf of National Democratic Alliance.

Rajnath Singh in his opening remark announced the formation of a committee headed by Sushma Swaraj to prepare a report suggesting ways and means of enrolling 33 women in the party as workers.

Rajnath admitted that the party had suffered a major setback in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

"Instead of disappointment, we should treat the Uttar Pradesh results as an opportunity to make us more alert and stable," Rajnath said in his opening address.

He declared that protection of Ram Setu is a national responsibility and the BJP is committed towards that.

Former party general secretary incharge of organisational affairs Sanjay Joshi was not invited to the national executive.

"He is a member of the national executivem, but he is not in Delhi," Ravi Shankar Prasad told newsmen who welcomed the comment as it gave them fodder to expose the BJP spokesperson.