Road to 2024 | Droupadi Murmu at Raisina Hill: BJP may run into some bumps | Political Pulse News,The Indian Express
While party hopes to benefit electorally from having the first tribal President, it will have to tread cautiously on issues that may receive pushback from Adivasis.
Road to 2024 is a weekly newsletter by the national bureau. Click here to subscribe
When the BJP chose Droupadi Murmu as the National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) presidential candidate, the party had in mind the elections in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan for which it has already begun preparations. The tribal population in these states is a significant support base that the party does not want to dilute.
But the elevation of a tribal woman to the position of head of state will pose some challenges to the BJP in the coming five years. With Murmu taking over the highest constitutional post in the country, the party will have to rise to meet the expectation and aspirations of the 104 million-strong tribal population that constitutes 8.6 per cent of the Indian population.
In her first speech in the Central Hall of Parliament, Murmu said, “I belong to the tribal society and I have got the opportunity to become the President of India from the Ward Councilor. This is the greatness of India, the mother of democracy. I want all our sisters and daughters to be empowered more and more as they continue to increase their contribution in every field of the country.”
In her political life preceding her rise to the presidency, Murmu cemented her reputation as an ardent advocate of tribal rights. During her tenure as the Jharkhand governor, she refused to give assent to a Bill approved by the government led by the BJP’s Raghubar Das. The Bill sought to give tribals the right to make commercial use of their land. With a President like Murmu in Rashtrapati Bhavan, the BJP will have to tread cautiously when it comes to reform measures or legislation that may draw the criticism of environmentalists.
Rating: 5