If elected, will stop ruling party from toppling state govts: Yashwant Sinha

LUCKNOW: Opposition’s common candidate for president polls Yashwant Sinha on Thursday said if he is elected, he will stop the ruling party from toppling elected state government and put an end to misuse of government agencies within 24 hours of him being sworn in as the President of India.
Citing the change of guard in Maharashtra and similar developments in Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Goa and Meghalaya, Sinha said if elected, he will take it as an obligation on himself to stop the ruling party at the Centre from toppling elected state governments. “Everyone can see through what has happened in Maharashtra. It’s not that after two and a half years some MLAs got enlightened and did what they did,” he said addressing a press conference at Samajwadi Party headquarters in Lucknow on Thursday evening.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav welcomed Sinha, describing him as the candidate who was capable of upholding the Constitutional values and assuring him all support from his party. SP’s alliance partner and Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Jayant Chaudhary, who was also present at the press conference, was all praise for Sinha. Other alliance partners, including Om Prakash Rajbhar of the Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party and Shivpal Yadav of Pragatisheel Samaj Party-Lohia who won the 2022 polls contesting on the SP symbol, were, however, conspicuous by their absence. Asked about support from SP's alliance partners, Akhilesh said it was his “problem” and he will handle it.
Sinha started off by saying that the presidential elections are being held under “extraordinary” conditions. “Extraordinary because of prevailing unrest in the society which seems to have got divided into two or three parts,” he said, adding that the Prime Minister often addresses people through his broadcasts but does not speak on major happenings within the country. “We feel that our country’s prime minister should speak on such happenings. His statements will help to ease resolve issues,” he said.
“If everything goes unchecked, soon we will be a society without recourse. People go to their elected representatives, politicians, ministers and then got to courts to get their grievances addressed. But today, it seems that justice is not being dispensed at any level,” he said. Yashwant Sinha attacked the ruling BJP saying that people in power, it seems, want that the society remains divided as it benefits them electorally. “But to what extent will this continue?” he said.