Showing the first fissures in the ruling United Progressive Alliance camp, the Majlis-e-Ittehaadul Muslimeen, an ally of the Congress in Andhra Pradesh, announced on Friday that it would stay away from the Presidential elections.

On a day when the UPA-Left Front Presidential candidate Pratibha Patil made a flying visit to Hyderabad to interact with MPs and MLAs of the ruling coalition in the state, the MIM's 'sudden' announcement has embarrassed the Congress.

The party also stayed away from an interactive meeting arranged with Patil.

The MIM executive body, which met in Hyderabad on Thursday, took the decision as the party felt that "Patil's controversial remarks on the purdah system constituted an unwarranted interference in Muslim Personal Law.

"The remarks also constituted a distorted representation of historical facts and hurt the sentiments of Muslim community in India. Her clarification on the issue was not at all satisfactory. Hence, the MIM decided to abstain from voting in the Presidential elections," MIM said in a media statement.

Addressing the 467th birth anniversary of Maharana Pratap in Udaipur on June 17, Patil had claimed that the "purdah system began during the Mughal rule to "save our women from Mughal invaders."

She added "The Mughal rule came to an end. We have got Independence and today we are citizens of a free India but we still continue to practice purdah. We must change with the times and there is need to put a stop to such practices. That alone will ensure real respect for women. In response to demand by Muslim organisations, she clarified that her intention was not to hurt the sentiments of any community and that her remarks be viewed in their perspective.

The MIM has one MP and five Members of Legislative Assembly. The value of its votes comes to 1 ,448.