‘To support person… must know him’: Mamata Banerjee, Ram Nath Kovind were on House panel

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee had on Monday indicated that she had barely heard of him.

Presidential Polls, Ram Nath Kovind, Mamata Banerjee, House panel

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee (File Photo)

Reacting to the BJP-led NDA’s decision to nominate Bihar Governor Ram Nath Kovind as its Presidential candidate, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee had on Monday indicated that she had barely heard of him.

In multiple tweets quoting Banerjee, the Trinamool Congress handle had tweeted, “In order to support someone, we must know the person…. I am not for a moment saying that Bihar Governor Ram Nath Kovind is unfit to be the President. I have spoken to 2 or 3 other Opposition leaders, they are also surprised.”

A search of Parliament’s record archives reveals that Kovind and Banerjee were part of the same standing committee that submitted the eighth report on The Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and other Backward Classes (Reservation in Posts and Services) Bill, 2004. The committee had 10 MPs from Rajya Sabha and 31 from the Lok Sabha. While Kovind was a part of the committee from the Upper House, Banerjee was a nominee from the LS. Six of these positions remained vacant.

Ananthakrishnan G

Ananthakrishnan G. is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express. He has been in the field for over 23 years, kicking off his journalism career as a freelancer in the late nineties with bylines in The Hindu. A graduate in law, he practised in the District judiciary in Kerala for about two years before switching to journalism. His first permanent assignment was with The Press Trust of India in Delhi where he was assigned to cover the lower courts and various commissions of inquiry. He reported from the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court of India during his first stint with The Indian Express in 2005-2006. Currently, in his second stint with The Indian Express, he reports from the Supreme Court and writes on topics related to law and the administration of justice. Legal reporting is his forte though he has extensive experience in political and community reporting too, having spent a decade as Kerala state correspondent, The Times of India and The Telegraph. He is a stickler for facts and has several impactful stories to his credit. ... Read More

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