Sushma Swaraj should have made a political case,not invoked an elite bias
In the gathering discussion on what should be the qualifications for the next president of India,Sushma Swaraj has just introduced a new word. Shooting down the candidature of Vice-President Hamid Ansari,the BJP leader said he doesnt have the stature. Apart from roiling equations in the NDA JDU and SAD have been quick to distance themselves from what Swaraj said her intervention could have the effect of leading the debate further astray. Because it is possible to argue both that stature is too vague,and that it has unfortunate connotations. What,after all,is the stature required of a president? Who decides how much stature is enough? It could even be argued by the BJPs critics that the partys yardstick smacks of communalism the SP has already said so.
Perhaps Swaraj didnt really mean it the way it sounded. Perhaps she was only alluding to the BJPs muttered criticism of Ansari that he has been less than fair to the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha,as in the Lok Pal debate. If that is the case,why does the BJP hesitate to present a political case against Ansari for president,instead of hiding behind stature?