Highlight
- The Congress leader further alleged that the condition of the Scheduled Castes has become “worse”.
- We should not make her a ‘tribal’ symbol, says Ajoy Kumar in reference to Draupadi Murmu
- Kumar said all like-minded parties should vote for opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha
Presidential Election 2022: Congress leader Ajay Kumar started a controversy by saying that NDA’s presidential candidate Draupadi Murmu represents a “very bad philosophy of India” and should not be made a “symbol of tribals”. The Congress leader further alleged that the condition of the Scheduled Castes has become “worse”.
“It is not about Draupadi Murmu. Yashwant Sinha is also a good candidate and Murmu is also a decent person. But she represents a very bad philosophy of India. We should not make her a symbol of ‘Adivasi’. We have President Ram Nath Kovind, Hathras Hua. Has he said a word? The condition of Scheduled Castes has become worse,” Kumar said.
Describing the presidential election as a “fight for the soul of the country”, the Congress leader said all like-minded parties should vote for opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha.
“It is the Modi government to make symbols and fool the people of India. It is a fight for the soul of the country and all like-minded parties should vote for Yashwant Sinha,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has reacted sharply to Kumar’s remarks against the NDA’s presidential candidate.
Hitting back at Kumar, BJP national spokesperson Shahzad Poonawalla said that Congress has insulted Murmu.
If elected, Draupadi Murmu will be India’s first tribal president and the country’s second woman president. She was the first woman governor of Jharkhand (from 2015 to 2021). Born in a poor tribal family in Mayurbhanj village of Odisha’s backward district, Murmu completed her studies despite challenging circumstances.
Draupadi Murmu was a national executive member of the BJP’s ST Morcha from 2013 to 2015 and served as the BJP district chief of Mayurbhanj (West) in 2010 and 2013. Between 2006 and 2009, she was the chief of the ST Morcha of the BJP in Odisha. She was a member of the National Executive of BJP ST Morcha from 2002 to 2009.
(with inputs from ANI)
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