JOIN US Refraining from adding any new name to the rapidly swelling list of probables for the post of next President, CPI has suggested that a Dalit woman should occupy the top seat.
Senior CPI leader A B Bardhan on Thursday quoted Mahatma Gandhi and said that he wanted a scheduled caste woman as President of the country. He, however, clarified that he was not suggesting the name of Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar. “Sorry! I am not taking any name,” said the senior leader. Bardhan said, “We will wait and watch. The biggest party (Congress) should come out with a name.”
He said four leaders - Naveen Patnaik, Sharad Pawar, Jayalalitha and Chandrababu Naidu - had spoken to him on the issue.
He avoided comment on supporting Pranab Mukherjee for the post. However, the left reacted sharply to Mamata-Mulayam proposing the name of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for presidentship. CPM polit bureau member Brinda Karat termed it “unprecedented.” Senior CPI leader D Raja said the Congress should answer why allies have dragged the name of Manmohan Singh.
CPM General Secretary Prakash Karat met Bardhan at CPI headquarters to discuss the names suggested by Mamata Banerjee and Mulayam.
The left is scheduled to meet on June 21 to take the final call on the issue.