Filing her nomination as the Opposition’s candidate for the post of President, Meira Kumar said here on Wednesday that the Opposition was fighting the same battle that Mahatma Gandhi had waged all his life. Asked before leaving Parliament soon after noon what the fight for secularism meant for her in this context, Ms. Kumar told reporters, “We are fighting the same battle that Mahatma Gandhi was fighting.”
The former Lok Sabha speaker went into the office of the secretary-general at Parliament shortly after 11 a.m. and returned after filing her papers around 11.30 a.m.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi and former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh followed her.
‘Battle of ideologies’
“For us, it is a battle of ideologies, principles and truth and we will fight it,” Ms. Gandhi told reporters later.
An array of Opposition leaders were present in Parliament for the event. Congress leaders Ahmed Patel, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mallikarjuna Kharge, Ambika Soni, C.P. Joshi, Rajeev Shukla, Sachin Pilot, Raj Babbar, Ashok Tanwar and and Deepender Singh Hooda could be seen among those waiting outside the secretary-general’s room as the filing of papers took place.
The Congress was represented by all its Chief Ministers — Amarinder Singh, Siddharamaiah, Virbhadra Singh, V. Narayanasamy, and Mukul Sangma. Former Chief Ministers Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Ashok Gehlot and Digvijaya Singh attended the event as well.
NCP leader Sharad Pawar, Left leaders Sitaram Yechury and D. Raja and BSP leader Satish Mishra were also present. “This is not a Dalit vs Dalit issue as is being made out by some,” Mr. Yechury later wrote in a Facebook post. “It is our fight to safeguard and strengthen the Indian Republic. Having spawned the politics of hate, and now from the silence of top leaders of the ruling party, especially the PM, the aiding and abetting of violating fundamental right of equality to all its citizens, this attack on India’s Constitution is more than evident.”
(With PTI inputs)
