The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) presidential nominee Meira Kumar said that her unanimous nomination by opposition parties with differences of opinion on various other issues is worthy of being a historical precedent. Reiterating that the presidential election was an extension of the “battle of ideologies”, she averred that the united opposition parties had accepted the challenge to protect the values which had traditionally guided the democratic nation of India.
Addressing the media at a Press conference here, Kumar said, “About 10-15 days ago, a development likely to be historical took place when major opposition parties with varied views on different issues held a meeting chaired by Congress president Sonia Gandhi in which they unanimously decided that the presidential election should not be based on a person but on ideology. The ideology becomes all the more relevant today as during the past three years, we have been seeing that the ethos traditionally guiding our nation is being swept aside. We celebrate our diversity, but tenets like these are being assaulted. We need to end the caste system for ensuring social independence but the opposite trend has been rising and is being fueled. It’s not as if incidents didn’t take place during our tenure, but we used to rush to resolve such anomalies. Now we see that the adivasis, dalits, women and minorities are suffering.”
The UPA presidential nominee further said that she had written to all the voters in the presidential election. She said, “In the presidential election, the voters need to listen to their antaratma (conscience). Even in the past the voters had listened to their conscience when they had chosen VV Giri as the president of India.” When asked about how she would improve the lot of those suffering if she becomes the president of India, Kumar said that the president of the nation has the maximum moral authority and the potential to make utmost impact on vital issues.
Earlier, the Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee president Pritam Singh introduced Kumar stating that she had a vast administrative experience and had also played a vital role in establishing positive practices during her tenure as the lok Sabha speaker. Referring to her as the one carrying forward the political legacy of her father Babu Jagjivan Ram, the PCC chief said that the united opposition had the thought of protecting democratic tenets by fielding her as the presidential nominee in an “ideological battle”.
The leader of opposition in the Vidhan Sabha, Indira Hridayesh and former Chief Minister Harish Rawat also expressed their views on the UPA presidential nominee on the occasion. Earlier, Kumar held a meeting with the Congress MlAs, MPs and party office bearers.