Prez fight based on ideology, not caste, reiterates Meira

 A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, Opposition Presidential candidate Meira Kumar began her campaign from the same venue on Friday.

Meira, too, like the prime minister, paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi and spun the charkha. Accompanied by state Congress president Bharatsinh Solanki and leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly Shankarsinh Vaghela, she spent around 45 minutes at the ashram.

“Everyone knows the importance of Sabarmati and Sabarmati’s Sant (Mahatma Gandhi). Just by going there, one gets shakti (power),” the former Lok Sabha speaker told the media. “The unity of the Opposition is based on the ideology it has learnt from the Mahatma. So, after filing the nomination and scrutiny, I first visited the Sabarmati Ashram and paid my respects.”

Later, speaking to the media at the Congress party head office in the state, Meira said her fight against NDA candidate Ram Nath Kovind was based on the ideology where all have the right to free speech, social equity, poverty alleviation and destruction of casteism.


Kovind, Meira in Tamil Nadu today

Presidential candidates of both National Democratic Alliance  (NDA) and United Progressive Alliance (UPA), Ram Nath Kovind and Meira Kumar are expected to arrive in Tamil Nadu on Saturday as part of their campaign for the July 17 elections.

The BJP sources here said on Friday that Ram Nath Kovind will meet all the legislators and MPs of both the AIADMK factions. The ruling AIADMK (Amma) camp led by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and the rebel group headed by former chief minister O Panneerselvam have extended him their support.  Similarly, Meira Kumar will also arrive in Chennai and will meet the Congress MLAs.