Presidential Polls: Why didn’t Congress field Meira Kumar in 2012, ask BJP leaders

BJP leaders said opposition parties have fielded former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar to “save their skin”, and that the move reflects their “fear” of PM Narendra Modi. UP CM Yogi Adityanath alleged that opposition parties only want to divide Dalits.

Ram Nath Kovind, Meira Kumar, presidential polls, Yogi Adityanath

New Delhi: NDA’s presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind accepts greetings of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at an NDA meeting at Parliament in New Delhi on Friday. (PTI Photo, File)

BJP leaders Friday said opposition parties have fielded former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar for the President’s election to “save their skin”, and that the move reflects their “fear” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who was in Delhi for Ram Nath Kovind’s nomination filing, alleged that opposition parties only want to divide Dalits.

“The intention of opposition (parties) is not honest towards Dalits, otherwise they would have fielded Meira Kumar last time (2012, when Pranab Mukherjee won as the UPA candidate),” Adityanath said.

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According to Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, the opposition decided to field a Dalit leader “in fear of Narendra Modi, who made the first move”.

Senior BJP leader and Opposition leader in Bihar Assembly Sushil Kumar Modi said opposition parties have made Kumar a “scapegoat”. “They thought about Dalits for the top post only after the BJP announced Kovind-ji as (NDA’s) Presidential candidate. Why didn’t the Congress nominate her last time when it was in a position to get her elected?”

Both Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das and his Haryana counterpart Manohar Lal Khattar called the BJP’s choice for the top constitutional post as a step towards empowering lower sections of the society.

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