Country doesn't need rubber stamp President: Yashwant Sinha

Chandigarh, July 12

If Droupadi Murmu has been chosen for the presidential race for being a tribal, why doesn’t PM Modi vacate his seat for a tribal? said Opposition’s presidential candidate Yashwant Sinha.

He was in Chandigarh for seeking support of the Haryana Congress MLAs.

Addressing a press conference at the Congress office, Sinha said the last five years saw a silent President, and if the BJP candidate won the poll this time, the country would see a rubber stamp President for the next five years.

He asked why Murmu hadn’t been addressing press conferences. “Perhaps, she wants to follow the example of the Prime Minister, who has not addressed a single press conference in the last eight years,” he said.

“I have great personal regard for Droupadi Murmu. However, I have repeatedly stressed that this election is not about identities, it is about ideologies. It is about commitment to the Constitution,” Sinha said.

On the question of Uddhav Thackeray’s camp extending support to Murmu, he admitted it was a setback. He, however, went on to add that in this election, people would make certain statements, but would vote differently.

“The election for the 15th President of India is taking place in highly troubling times. Our democracy is in grave danger. Every institution of democratic governance is being subverted by the ruling party and its government. Agencies like the ED, CBI, Income Tax Department, and even the Governor’s office are being used to target Opposition leaders, engineer defections in Opposition parties, and topple Opposition-run governments. To win elections, the ruling party has embarked on an evil design to communally polarise India’s multi-faith society,” he said.