<p>Unfazed by suspension from Congress party for supporting BJP-backed presidential nominee P A Sangma, former Union Minister and tribal leader Arvind Netam today said it was time that a tribal becomes the country's President.<br /><br /></p>.<p>"This is the right time to have a tribal as the country's next President and I have done nothing wrong in supporting a tribal for the presidential election," Netam told PTI.<br />He said many times he felt that "tribals were not professional politicians" and because of this they sometimes landed into problems.<br /><br />"There was an urgent need to ensure that tribals move forward in all spheres of development," he said.<br /><br />Congress on Thursday suspended the 70-year-old tribal leader from the party with immediate effect hours after he backed P A Sangma in the presidential race.<br /><br />For about a month, the Tribal Forum of India (headed by Netam) had been working towards a tribal candidate for this year's Presidential elections, he said.<br /><br />The Forum had even suggested some names for the post including former Nagaland Chief Minister S C Jamir, Netam said while expressing happiness that Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Tamil Nadu CM J Jayalalitha had supported his forum.<br /><br />He said the Forum had met leaders of all political parties to enlist their support for a tribal presidential nominee.<br /><br />"It is for the Congress to decide what it wants to do with me, I do not worry about it," Netam said.<br /><br />The former Union Minister said the Forum was unable to meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi "may be because she did not have time" to meet them.<br /><br />"In such a case, at least some other Congress leader must have been deputed to meet the Forum leaders," Netam said.</p>
<p>Unfazed by suspension from Congress party for supporting BJP-backed presidential nominee P A Sangma, former Union Minister and tribal leader Arvind Netam today said it was time that a tribal becomes the country's President.<br /><br /></p>.<p>"This is the right time to have a tribal as the country's next President and I have done nothing wrong in supporting a tribal for the presidential election," Netam told PTI.<br />He said many times he felt that "tribals were not professional politicians" and because of this they sometimes landed into problems.<br /><br />"There was an urgent need to ensure that tribals move forward in all spheres of development," he said.<br /><br />Congress on Thursday suspended the 70-year-old tribal leader from the party with immediate effect hours after he backed P A Sangma in the presidential race.<br /><br />For about a month, the Tribal Forum of India (headed by Netam) had been working towards a tribal candidate for this year's Presidential elections, he said.<br /><br />The Forum had even suggested some names for the post including former Nagaland Chief Minister S C Jamir, Netam said while expressing happiness that Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Tamil Nadu CM J Jayalalitha had supported his forum.<br /><br />He said the Forum had met leaders of all political parties to enlist their support for a tribal presidential nominee.<br /><br />"It is for the Congress to decide what it wants to do with me, I do not worry about it," Netam said.<br /><br />The former Union Minister said the Forum was unable to meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi "may be because she did not have time" to meet them.<br /><br />"In such a case, at least some other Congress leader must have been deputed to meet the Forum leaders," Netam said.</p>