THE nomination of Ram Nath Kovind as the presidential candidate of the BJP alliance confirms the expectation that the RSS would not let this opportunity slip by to place one of its men in the Rashtrapati Bhavan for the first time.

The choice of Kovind is sought to be projected as the concern of the BJP for a dalit to occupy the highest office in the land. But behind this effort to regain  its credibility among the dalits lies the fact that the person  chosen is a follower of the RSS.

By proposing a dalit for the presidentship, the BJP hopes to refurbish its pro-dalit image, something which had taken a battering in the last two years. The attacks on dalits by the Sangh combine have been incessant. The death of Rohith Vemula, the attack on dalit youth in Una, the atrocities against dalits in Saharanpur and the targeting of the dalit community for their involvement in the cattle trade and leather industry is still continuing.  The tokenism involved in putting up a dalit candidate is not going to dispel the deep-seated suspicion and anger towards the Hindutva upper caste agenda among the dalit communities.

The issue here is not the personal characteristics, or, public life of Ram Nath Kovind. If there is anything  distinguishing the BJP’s presidential candidate, it is his consistency in adhering to the RSS outlook and values.  He shares the RSS view that “Islam and Christianity are alien to India” – a remark he made in the context of his opposition to include Christians, or, Muslims in the dalit category.

The CPI(M) has, since the 1992 presidential election (after the emergence of the BJP as the main opposition party in parliament), taken a stand that the office of president should not be occupied by a person belonging to the BJP/RSS combine, or one who is liable to be influenced by them.  The Party has been consistently adhering to this stand in all subsequent presidential elections.

Now, at a time when the presidential elections are being held in 2017, with a government running on the direction of
the RSS, it becomes all the more necessary to oppose the BJP-NDA candidate.

The opposition parties should put up a joint candidate to fight the presidential election; a contest which will make the
point that the president has to be the custodian of the republic and the constitution – something which the BJP-RSS seek to negate. 

(June 21, 2017)