Don’t belong to a party; prez post above party politics: Kovind

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, June 23, 2017 : NDA presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind on Friday said that he does not belong to any political party and President post in above all the politics. He filed his nomination papers for the upcoming presidential elections in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior NDA leaders.

 

Kovind, 71, said he will work hard to main dignity of the President’s post which he stressed was above politics. "Ever since I became governor, I don’t belong to any political party. The post of president is above party politics. I am thankful to everybody for their support.. I will do my best to maintain dignity of the high office of the president," the Dalit leader of UP told reporters in a breif interaction with media. His "impartiality" as Bihar governor was also ackowledged by state chief minister Nitish Kumar who gave up opposition politics to support the NDA nominee.

With the BJP for the first time heading to install its own partyman in President’s House, Kovind confidently took names of several former presidents to praise "great traditions" of the constitutional office. In that context, he insisted "that its supremacy is maintained is very important".

Modi, BJP president Amit Shah, Shiromani Akali Dal patron Prakash Singh Badal and TDP chief and Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandra Babu Naidu seconded Kovind’s candidature. With NDA partners pulling off 48.6 percent of votes in the electoral college and regional parties including AIADMK, BJD, JDU, TRS and YSR Congress giving their nod, Kovind is set to become the next president and second Dalit leader after KR Narayanan to warm the highest constitutional position. As per BJP’s internal projection, the NDA nominee may get at least 61 per cent votes in the polling on July 17.

The lawyer politician underlined his agenda for the country’s "all-round development, fulfilment of youths’ aspirations and encouragement to modern education". Echoing Modi’s mission, the former Rajya Sabha MP gleaned on a peice of paper and remarked that "I will strive to see to it that the dream to build a new India which is developing continuously when we celebrate 75 years of independence in 2022 is fulfilled".

On the current security scenario, the BJP leader assured that as the president is also the supreme commander of all three forces, " it is our responsibility to keep our border secure".

After the process got over, the AP chief minister stated that Kovind deserves to become the next President of India. "Now everyone has to support his candidature. The opposition will lose" the contest, Naidu commented.

BJP veteran leaders LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, members of the party’s margdarshak mandal, also turned up at the event to send message that they are with Modi and Shah on their pick for the president’s post. Except for Manohar Parikar and Mehbooba Mufti, chief ministers of different BJP-ruled states and its allies were also present at that time. Interestinlgy, Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao and Tamil Nadu’s Edappadi K Palaniswami were spotted among the leaders who graced the ocassion.

Courtesy:DHNS