'My mother's name deliberately dragged in'

President Pratibha Patil's son Rajendra Shekhawat, who has been nominated by Congress to contest assembly poll in Maharashtra, on Wednesday night said his mother's name was "deliberately being dragged" and that he should be considered only on his merit.

"For the last 10 years, I have been working for the party, I was in Congress Seva Dal. I have also worked in the Amravati Zila Congress Committee...why can't I be considered on my merit?" Shekhawat told NDTV.

Shekhawat rejected the allegation that he was given a ticket because of being the son of the President of India. "Certainly not...I am an entity. Amravati has been our place. My parents have been into politics for the last 40-45 years. That is why I will be working for the people of Amravati," he said.

Asked if his nomination as a candidate would not diminish the President's post in some way, he said, "I believe that my mother's name is deliberately being dragged into...It has been done in Amravati. I know the source."

Rajendra said he did not understand why so much hullabaloo was going on about his nomination. To a question about the decision of sitting Congress Member of Legislative Assembly Sunil Deshmukh to contest as an independent from the seat, Shekhawat recalled his father too was denied a ticket from Amravati despite being a sitting MLA but he did not question the high command's decision then.

"...I think in the case of Sunilji also, what I would like to say is that the party has given so much. We should abide by whatever decision is taken by the party," Shekhawat said.