Meira Kumar decries ‘Dalit vs Dalit’ tag to Raisina Hill contest

The Opposition’s joint presidential candidate Meira Kumar on Tuesday asked political parties not to term the election as ‘Dalit versus Dalit’ just because the rival ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate Ramnath Kovind is also from the same community.

Addressing a press conference at the Constitution Club on the eve of filing her nomination papers on Wednesday, Kumar said she was fighting an ideological battle against the rival’s “hatred” of other religions and lower castes. It is not a fight of castes but a battle of ideologies, she asserted.

Claiming that she would fight on the “united ideology” of the 17 political parties that opted her as their nominee, she said: “Democratic values, inclusiveness, social justice, freedom of the press and transparency are some of the cherished values of this ideology, very close to my heart.”

Kumar also revealed that she will start her campaign from the Sabarmati Ashram in Gujarat and appealed to the lawmakers – MPs and MLAs –- to follow their “inner conscience” while voting.

Former Lok Sabha Speaker and daughter of iconic Dalit leader and late deputy PM Jagjivan Ram, Meira Kumar vowed to bury the caste system for ever. “We will undermine the importance of the President’s office if we say it’s a fight between people of particular castes,” she said.

Kumar said the “Dalit vs Dalit” debate brings society’s mindset to the forefront. Noting that the caste was never a major point of discussion in past presidential elections, she wanted focus on the personalities and not only on their caste.

Further elaborating on the violence against the Dalits still prevalent in the country, she said it was a “shameful” as “we should hang our heads in shame even if there is one incident of violence against the Dalits.

“This is my fight. This is the ideology I fight for – the destruction of the caste system,” she added.

When told that she was fighting a losing battle, she said, “Why are you calling it a losing battle? It is a battle of ideology.”