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Wait, who?
This was the sentiment across newsrooms and political circles when Bihar Governor Ram Nath Kovind was announced as NDA’s presidential candidate. The unexpected announcement by BJP chief Amit Shah caught almost everyone by surprise, with a rush to find out more about Kovind’s politics and personality.
So, The Quint compiled Kovind’s past speeches to give you a glimpse into the man who is poised to become the 14th President of India.
In 2010, Ram Nath Kovind was appointed the BJP national spokesperson during Nitin Gadkari’s tenure as BJP chief. In a press conference in 2010, he is quoted in the Hindustan Times as saying that ‘Islam and Christianity are alien’ to the nation and so even if their economic condition calls for it, they should not be given quota in government jobs, legislation and education.
Kovind was clarifying the BJP’s stand against the Ranganath Mishra Commission report which recommends 15 percent quota in government jobs for religious and linguistic minorities. Following reports that Kovind was misquoted, a BOOM Live report reached out to Sarwar Kashani from Indo Asian News Service (IANS) reported on Kovind in 2010. He has said that he stands by his report and Kovind used the word ‘nation’.
Interestingly, Kovind served as a member of the Parliamentary Committee on Welfare of Scheduled Castes/Tribes and the Parliamentary Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment among others.
If elected, Ram Nath Kovind will be the second Dalit president in India. In fact, his announcement is being hailed as a masterstroke by the NDA – a symbolic move with political benefits.
In this clip published in April 2017, Kovind is talking about Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar’s stance on the Hindu Code Bill. Interestingly, Kovind also served as a member of the Board of Management of Dr BR Ambedkar University, Lucknow.
Speaking at an annual function of the Bihar Chamber of Commerce in December 2016, the governor of Bihar praised demonetisation as ‘a positive effort’ and said it will ‘free the society of black money and corruption’. According to a report in The Financial Express, he said,
Ram Nath Kovind was a Rajya Sabha member from 1994 to 2000 and then, from 2000 to 2006. He was elected from Uttar Pradesh and during that period reportedly emphasised the importance of infrastructure and rural development.
In this 2000 speech in the Rajya Sabha, Kovind speaks on the Companies Amendment Bill, 2000 as a BJP MP from Uttar Pradesh.
As Governor of Bihar, Kovind has come out as a supporter of Nitish’s policy of prohibition. On the Republic Day function in 2017, Kovind praised the state government for implementing total prohibition in the state. According to a report in The Indian Express, he said,
‘Rule of law’ and the state of higher education are at the centre of Bihar politics and as a Bihar governor, Kovind has strong opinions on the same.
In January 2017, he hailed the Nitish Kumar government for “ensuring good governance in Bihar.” The Times of India quoted him as saying,
On the other hand, Kovind came down hard at the state of higher education in India, saying that “higher education in Bihar was on the verge of collapse,” according to a report in the Hindustan Times. It’s a significant stand, especially since as a Governor, Kovind is the chancellor of universities in Bihar.
So, what kind of a president will Ram Nath Kovind be? For now, we will just have to wait and see.
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Published: 19 Jun 2017,06:08 PM IST