The BSP on Saturday extended its support to the BJP-led NDA’s presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu, who is likely to be the first tribal leader and the second woman to occupy the post.
Murmu on Friday filed her nomination papers for the July 18 presidential election, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi handing over the set of papers to Returning Officer P C Mody.
“The BSP has decided to extend support to Droupadi Murmu in the coming presidential elections keeping in mind that the Adivasi samaj is an important part of the party’s movement,” BSP supremo Mayawati said here.
“This decision was taken not to support the BJP or NDA nor to go against the opposition UPA, but keeping in mind our party and its movement for making a capable and dedicated Adivasi woman the president of the country,” she said.
The BSP president while criticising the opposition parties for keeping her out of consultation while deciding on the presidential candidate, stressed that her party is free to take its decision on the presidential election.
Former Union minister Yashwant Sinha has been declared the joint candidate by many opposition parties, including the Congress, the TMC and the NCP.
Meanwhile, a day after the Congress in Odisha announced that it would not support Murmu, the state unit of the BJP described the grand old party as anti-tribal.
BJP state president Samir Mohanty alleged that the Congress, which had seized power at the Centre with the support of tribal people, will now oppose one of their representatives.
Maintaining that the nomination of a tribal woman from Odisha for the topmost Constitutional post is matter of great pride, Mohanty said, Instead of rejoicing at Murmu’s success, senior Congress leaders of the state have said that they would not vote in favour of Odia daughter, just to toe party line.
The party probably does not have the best interests of tribals in mind, he added. Congress Legislature Party leader Narasingha Mishra had on Thursday said that the party MLAs in Odisha Assembly will not support Murmu as she believes in the ideology of the BJP and the RSS.
The Congress in Odisha has nine MLAs and one MP in Lok Sabha. BJD supremo and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik recently asked his party’s 114 MLAs and 21 MPs to vote for Murmu as she is the daughter of the soil.
With inputs from PTI
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