The selection of Ram Nath Kovind as the presidential candidate by the ruling BJP has taken the Opposition parties by surprise (“Nitish backs Kovind, RJD unhappy,” June 22). They cannot vociferously oppose his nomination, for the fear of being seen as ‘anti-Dalit’; hence, they had to mull the selection of another Dalit leader. With due respect to the highest chair, the President generally never frames the rules. Hence, the ruling party’s move gives an impression that they are politicising what is supposed to be a post of apolitical nature.
D. Mukhopadhyay,
Kolkata
Appointing a Dalit to the highest office as a symbolic measure without providing the community equal opportunities to rise from their backwardness is going to do it no good in the long run. The government should learn from BSP’s defeat in the U.P. State elections that mere rhetoric and symbolism can’t be a permanent tactic to gain votes. This takes the caste system forward and the society backwards. The government should find ways to end the caste system and not promote it.
Gaurav Bhatia,
Faridabad
The BJP has very astutely played its cards by declaring the Bihar Governor as its presidential candidate. Not only is he a Dalit, he hails from a humble background and boasts of an unsullied reputation. BJP has killed two birds with one stone, as its move will help it shed its image as a party of the upper castes.
Deepti Jain,
New Delhi
