This refers to the editorial, “Presidential qualities” (July 21). As anticipated by political pundits and data-crunchers across the board, Ram Nath Kovind has, by a large margin, won the presidential race and will soon take office as the 14th President of India. Kovind is known for probity and has an unblemished past. But the Opposition would be keeping a sharp eye on the first President from the BJP stable. Though many would argue that the President of India is a ‘rubber stamp’, experience shows that on many occasions, the head of the state has had to take tough decisions, which altered the course of history.
Ram Nath Kovind will be the first BJP leader to occupy Rashtrapati Bhavan, but his real test will be to not be swayed by his party on matters where he may have to take a call as per his conscience and assert his authority; this means, he may have to take calls on matters unforeseen and without past examples, so how he goes about it will determine his place in history. Furthermore, making things more challenging for Kovind is his predecessor Pranab Mukherjee, who was a thinking President and set high standards in not just intellect and demeanour but also in his overall approach in the last five years.