From Our Bureau
NEW DELHI: Known for twisting statements and comments out of context, the Bhartiya Janata Party on Monday sought to twist opposition presidential candidate Yashwant Sinha for his appeal to his opponent Draupadi Murmu to affirm that she would not be a “rubber stamp Rashtrapati” if elected, dubbing him as having an anti-tribal mindset.
The party leadership asked national General Secretary C T Ravi to hit back Sinha for his remark, forgetting that he was one of the veteran leader of the party holding key ministerial posts as foreign and finance miniser in the governments of Atal Behari Vajpayee.
Ravi twisted Sinha’s words to state that an Adivasi woman can not be capable for the position.
He was reacting to a question regarding Sinha urging BJP-led NDA’s nominee for the elections, Droupadi Murmu, who belongs to a tribal community in Odisha, to make an affirmation that she will not be a “rubber stamp Rashtrapati.”
“Certainly the country doesn’t need a rubber stamp Rashtrapati, but also, in the same way, the mindset of indulging in false propaganda against a self-made Adivasi woman, who has proved her capability, is dangerous. The state of mind that feels oneself alone to be worthy is dangerous,” Ravi said.
Speaking to media persons in Bangalore, he went ahead to prove Murmu’s credentials to evoke sympathy for her in people as if she was Sinha’s victim saying, “Murmu, an Adivasi woman has already proved her capabilities, as the Governor of Jharkhand, as a minister and MLA in Odisha and as a lecturer in a college. A feeling that the Adivasi woman is not capable for the position itself depicts one’s nasty mindset.”
Murmu will be visiting Karnataka on July 10 to seek votes, Ravi said, as he also stated that based on the current numbers, her victory is certain in the July 18 presidential polls.
Sinha, who was in Bengaluru on Sunday as part of his poll campaign, attended the Congress Legislature Party meeting there, and accused the BJP-led central government of misusing agencies like ED, CBI, Income Tax to “fix” political opponents.
Reacting to this, Ravi, MLA from Chikmagalur, said, “ED or Income Tax departments can’t do anything to those who are honest, but those corrupt can’t escape from them. If one is corrupt, he or she has to worry; those honest need not and will not.” He also welcomed the JD(S) plans to support Murmu in the presidential polls.
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