Presidential Elections 2022: Congress leader says Droupadi Murmu ‘represents evil philosophy of India’, sparks row

Calling out the Congress for its “disappointing” remarks on NDA’s presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu, the BJP on Wednesday hit out at Congress leader Ajoy Kumar who said that Murmu represented “a very evil philosophy of India”. Kumar, speaking to news agency ANI, said, “It’s not about Droupadi Murmu. Yashwant Sinha is also a good candidate and Murmu is also a decent person. But she represents a very evil philosophy of India. We should not make her a symbol of ‘Adivasi’. We have President Ram Nath Kovind, Hathras happened. Has he said a word? The condition of Scheduled Castes has become worse.”

While terming the upcoming presidential polls a “fight for the soul of the nation”, Kumar called upon all Opposition parties to unite against the ruling BJP and vote for Yashwant Sinha. “Creating symbols and fooling the people of India is what the Modi government is all about. This is a fight for the soul of the nation and all like-minded parties should vote for Yashwant Sinha,” he said

Reacting to the Congress leader’s remarks, BJP leader Amit Malviya said, “At a time when the NDA has announced Droupadi Murmu as its Presidential nominee, to have Congress call her evil by association, to even suggest that she doesn’t represent tribal aspirations is hugely disappointing.” Malviya was joined by BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala who said that in Ajoy Kumar’s remarks the party has insulted Murmu.

The Presidential elections will be held on July 18, and the counting of votes will take place on July 21. NDA’s presidential face Murmu will be up against Opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha. If elected, Murmu will become the first tribal President of the country and the second woman after Pratibha Patil at the Raisina Hill.