It is not a 'Shekhawat versus Shekhawat' fight for the post of President, Vice President Bhairon Singh has said.
Shekhawat refused to acknowledge Pratibha Patil, his rival in the Presidential election, as a Shekhawat.
"No, I don't see it as 'Shekhawat versus Shekhawat'. Not at all," Shekhawat, who is contesting as an independent candidate with the National Democratic Alliance backing him, said.
He was responding to a question on whether he too, like Patil, who is married to a Shekhawat, saw next month's Presidential election as a 'Shekhawat versus Shekhawat' fight.
Patil, soon after the announcement of her candidature, had termed the election a 'Shekhawat versus Shekhawat' contest.
"She is not a Shekhawat," the vice president said.
"When I said I will not say anything against and not listen to anything being said against her, it was not because she is a Rajput, it's because she is a woman," Shekhawat said.
In lighter vein, he thanked the Congress for terming the election a 'Shekhawat versus Shekhawat' battle.
"I am happy that the Congress made it a Shekhawat versus Shekhawat fight. This has enhanced the reputation of the Shekhawat community. It is as if only a Shekhawat can take on a Shekhawat," he said.
Patil is married to Devi Singh Shekhawat, who belongs to the same community as Bhairon Singh Shekhawat.