I am not a scapegoat: Meira Kumar
Bengaluru (TH) : The Congress-led Opposition’s Presidential candidate Meira Kumar, who arrived in Bengaluru on Saturday for her election campaign, dismissed remarks that she was Congress’s “scapegoat.”
Speaking to presspersons after meeting Congress members at the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) office here, she said: “This is a fight of ideologies and anybody who fights for ideologies is not a scapegoat. I am a fighter and I will fight this election.”
Describing the coming together of 17 Opposition parties, who unanimously selected her as their candidate against the ruling party’s nominee Ram Nath Kovind, as “historical”, she said: “This unity is based on their firm ideological positions that include democratic values, inclusiveness, social justice and destruction of caste structure.”
Ms. Kumar, who met Janata Dal (Secular) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda at the Kempegowda International Airport soon after landing, sought his support and thanked him for having signed her nomination. She said she has written to MLAs and MPs of all States, irrespective of parties, seeking support in the election. “I have appealed to them to not let go this rare opportunity to script history,” she said.
Pointing out that she started her campaign from Gujarat where she visited the Sabarmati Ashram, she said she will visit all the States and meet the MLAs and MPs personally to seek their support.
Contest of Dalits
She said that it is unfortunate that even in 2017, caste was being discussed. “While caste was not discussed in the previous presidential elections, it has become a subject of discussion now, as this is an election of Dalits. When people want development, good roads and infrastructure, its time that their thoughts should also be clean,” she said.
Asked if she will meet Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, she said: “I have already written to him. I will decide about what to do when I go to Bihar.”
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, KPCC President G. Prameshwara, Working President Dinesh Gundu Rao, former minister S.R. Patil and some ministers were present.
