New Delhi, Jun 23 (IBNS): Presidential contest candidate and former Lok Sabha speaker P A Sangma on Sunday took his rival UPA candidate Pranab Mukherjee calling him responsible for the financial mess in the country and held him also responsible for the various scams concerning his department.

"Who is responsible individually? Individually the finance minister is responsible for the financial condition," said Sangma, who is supported by a part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), especially the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

He also held him responsible for the financial scandals.

Sangma, who has been backed by Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik of BJD and Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa of AIADMK, said collectively the Prime Minister and his cabinet is responsible for the mess but Pranab Mukherjee as finance minister is individually responsible for the situation.

"The entire corporate world is with Pranab Mukherjee," said Sangma hinting at a corporate-politician nexus in the elections.

Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who visited his ancestral home in Birbhum district in West Bengal on Saturday, has once urged all the political groups who are still undecided about whom to support in the presidential poll to back his candidature.

He said on Sunday if needed he would speak to Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee again.
 
Mukherjee also visited Belur Math, the  Headquarters Ramakrishna Math & Ramakrishna Mission, in Howrah and prayed there besides meeting the monks.

Mukherjee earlier said: "There are many parties outside UPA which are supporting me. Parties like Forward Bloc, CPI-M, JD (U) and Shiv Sena are supporting me."

"I am urging those who have not made up their mind yet to support me as the UPA candidate," said Mukherjee.

The Presidential election is scheduled to take place on July 19.