In nominating Bihar Governor Ram Nath Kovind, and a Dalit, as its presidential candidate, the BJP has bowled a googly, uprooting the ‘leg’ stump of the Opposition. The maximum the Opposition can do now is to either support Mr. Kovind’s candidature or nominate another Dalit or someone else from a minority community to counter Narendra Modi and appeal for a ‘no ball’.
S. Rajagopalan,
Chennai
The BJP’s announcement of a Dalit as their candidate may or may not herald a new dawn for the marginalised in India. We have had a Dalit President before — the sagacious K.R. Narayanan — and yet Dalits and Adivasis continue to labour under overwhelming disadvantages in our Republic. The question is, will the next Dalit President at least verbally defend the pluralist ethos of the Constitution?
Vasantha Surya,
Bengaluru
By nominating Mr. Kovind as its presidential candidate — on the virtue of him being a Dalit “who steadfastly fought for the educational and economic empowerment of his community” — the BJP leadership has begun a political gamble with the intent of breaking some semblance of Opposition unity. While the BJP has an edge in the electoral college and may easily pull off a victory, it should instead strive to build consensus for its candidate through patient discussion with the Opposition. Irrespective of his good credentials, Mr. Kovind stands out more as a BJP man. Atal Bihari Vajpayee had nominated a respected and apolitical figure, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, as the presidential candidate and ensured his triumph. The current BJP leadership could have emulated such a move.
M. Jeyaram,
Sholavandan, Tamil Nadu
The BJP has a clear edge in numerical terms, further fortified by naming its Dalit candidate. However, it is clear that the move is more about “vote bank politics”. On its part, the Opposition should have sensed the BJP’s line of thinking and announced, perhaps, the candidature of Meira Kumar who is also a fit candidate given her Lok Sabha Speakership background and as the daughter of Jagjivan Ram. The only sensible option left for the Opposition now is to support Mr. Kovind as he seems to be non-controversial. The Opposition can try to bargain for the vice-president’s post by proposing Ms. Kumar’s name. It would also brighten her prospects for elevation in the next presidential election.
V.N. Gopal,
Chennai
