Ram Nath Kovind: The promise, and the President | Political Pulse News,The Indian Express
As Dalit head of state, Kovind's appointment was as hailed for its symbolism as Droupadi Murmu's now. But in the end, his symbol will be his steadfast silence
Five years ago, the day Ram Nath Kovind swept the Presidential election with over 66% votes, the Rajya Sabha witnessed a heated debate on the “increase” in the cases of lynchings and assaults on Muslims and Dalits in the country. The Opposition laid the blame for the incidents of “grotesque violence” at the door of the BJP and its ideological parent, the RSS.
Kovind, a former president of the BJP’s Scheduled Caste wing and at the time the Governor of Bihar, thus, offered the Sangh an opportunity to reset its terms of engagements with the Dalit community. Much like Droupadi Murmu now as the country’s first tribal President, the Narendra Modi government was hailed for showing political imagination by picking Kovind.
In his first speech after taking oath, Kovind said, “The key to India’s success is its diversity. Our diversity is the core that makes us so unique. In this land we find a mix of states and regions, religions, languages, cultures, lifestyles and much more. We are so different and yet so similar and united.”
But, over the course of his presidency, Kovind faced charges of reducing the above to mere platitude, never challenging the government, even as pleas were made to him to exert the moral presence of his office on issues.
The Bills or decisions on which the Opposition felt the outgoing President could have intervened included the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and the introduction of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). Even as legislation were rushed through Parliament without discussion, the Opposition failed to get any reprieve from Rashtrapati Bhavan.
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