The Presidential candidate of the combined Opposition parties and senior leader Yashwant Sinha on Sunday said that the president should be an impartial custodian of the constitution and not a silent rubber stamp, and pledged to be answerable to the constitution even as he challenged the ruling party candidate Droupadi Murmu to also take a similar pledge.
Speaking in Bengaluru after meeting the Congress leaders and legislators on Sunday, Mr. Sinha pledged to be answerable to the constitution and restrain the central government of if it aids and abets outrageously undemocratic practises such as Operation Kamala that has been used to destabilise opposition governments in Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Goa and Maharashtra. He also pledged to speak out against any attempts aimed at communal polarisation and defend freedom of press, speech and other rights besides working for the repeal of the sedition law. “I have great personal regard for the candidate of the ruling party. However, in the prevailing grim circumstances in the country, I urge her to assure the people of India on the above concern and make similar pledge,” Mr. Sinha challenged Ms. Murmu.
Quoting the recent statement of Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana that “judiciary is answerable to the constitution and constitution alone,” the former Union Minister said: “I fully endorse this view and congratulate CJI Ramana for this forthright affirmation. I have been saying since I filed my nomination papers on June 27 that the sole purpose behind my acceptance of the combined Opposition’s offer to be their candidate is to safeguard the constitution and its lofty values, which are today under unprecedented threat.”
