Should a person who is opposed to reservation for Muslim and Christian minorities occupy the post of the President, Telangana Congress chief N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Friday wondered, referring to the NDA’s presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind.
Reddy referred to a seven-year-old remark of Kovind in which he reportedly said that Islam and Christianity were “alien” to India and urged the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) in the State to reconsider its decision to back Kovind for the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Kovind had opposed reservation for minority Muslims and also rejected the Ranganath Mishra Commission report which proposed reservations for Muslims and Christians and other minorities, Reddy claimed.
“He (Kovind) also said that Dalit status should not be given to Dalit Christians. Now, a person, who holds such views, should he occupy the highest Constitutional post of IndiaIJ We think not,” he said.
The State unit president of the Congress “hoped” that Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao would reconsider his decision to support Kovind.