RSS CHIEF CLEARS AIR, SAYS NOT IN RACE FOR PREZ POST

› I read the speculation in newspapers. There is lots of news in papers, including entertainmentbased items, so I consider it one of them MOHAN BHAGWAT, RSS chief

NAGPUR: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat scotched speculation on Wednesday that he was in the running to be India’s next President. He said that he would prefer to continue working for his organisation that acts as the ruling BJP’s ideological anchor.

“I read the speculation in newspapers. There is lots of news in newspapers, including entertainment-based items, so I consider it one of them,” he said at a meeting in Nagpur, where the RSS headquarters is located.

His clarification comes days after the Shiv Sena proposed Bhagwat’s name for the presidential elections scheduled in July, saying the “dream” of a “Hindu rashtra” would be fulfilled with the RSS chief at the helm of the country. But Bhagwat said he wouldn’t accept the post of President even if he was offered. He said he would like to continue his work at the RSS.

A senior swayamsevak said Bhagwat was a guiding force for all affiliated organisations of the RSS. “How can he accept such a post, leaving the RSS?”

President Pranab Mukherjee’s term comes to an end in July and there are speculations that the Narendra Modi government would look for a fresh face for the nation’s highest office.

The BJP’s victory in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand has stacked the numbers in electoral college — the body that chooses the President — in the favour of the government. The electoral college comprises 776 parliamentarians and 4,120 legislators. Its total strength is 10, 98,882 votes and the halfway mark is 5,49,442 votes. The NDA is just short by 25,000 votes – a gap that can be easily bridged by smaller parties.