BJP national president Amit Shah announced Bihar Governor Ram Nath Kovind as the NDA pick.
With the NDA revealing their cards ahead of the upcoming presidential election, the Congress on Monday refused to comment on their choice and accused the BJP of “unilaterally” taking the decision without consulting the Opposition.
“Unilaterally they (BJP) took a decision, but it is up to them. One of our colleague said it was a PR exercise… Without revealing the name how will you build a consensus? On the presidential nominee announced by the NDA, we have nothing to say. We don’t want to comment on the merits and demerits of the candidate…The opposition was given to understand that they will be taken into confidence,” Congress spokesperson Ghulam Nabi Azad said.
When asked the Opposition’s future course of action, Azad said: “So far as the future strategy of the Opposition is concerned, we are not going to comment on it until the next of the meeting, which has been fixed on June 22 at 4.30 pm; most probably at the Parliamentary Library. Sonia Gandhi ji will be presiding over the meeting…”
At the end of a two-hour long BJP parliamentary board meeting, party national president Amit Shah announced Bihar Governor Ram Nath Kovind as the NDA pick. Kovind, 71, is a Dalit leader from Kanpur and was twice elected to the Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh. He practiced in the Supreme Court and was also formerly the party spokesperson. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Kovind will make an “exceptional President” and his legal background will “benefit the nation”.
