A new controversy cicked off with NDA backed presidential candidate PA Sangma alleging that UPA candidate Pranab Mukherjee holds office of profit as the chairman of the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI). Today Pranab Mukherjee will reply to the office of profit allegations made by his rival PA Sangma.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister PK Bansal said Mukherjee would file a written reply to the Returning Officer by 3.00 pm on Tuesday. The government had yesterday rejected Sangma's claim that Mukherjee held an office of profit as he was the chairman of the Indian Statistical Institute. Sangma has demanded that Mukherjee be barred from contesting Presidential poll on grounds of holding an office of profit.

However, the government responded by saying that Mukherjee had resigned as chairman of the ISI a week before he filed his nomination in the President's Election and does not currently hold any office of profit. "He (Mukherjee) had resigned as chairman, ISI, on June 20, a week before he filed his nominations," Bansal said yesterday shortly after Sangma's camp filed a petition seeking cancellation of the UPA's candidate's nomination.