As the voting for the Presidential Election started this morning with the commencement of Parliament’s monsoon session, the joint opposition candidate for the top constitutional post Yashwant Sinha urged political parties to vote for him “to save democracy” and said he was fighting against government agencies too.
Yashwant Sinha on Monday said: “This election is very important and will set the path for the country’s democracy, whether it will stay or not. I hope all political parties vote in my favour to save democracy and protect the Constitution.”
Making a request to MPs and MLAs across the country to listen to their “inner voice” and support him, Mr Sinha said: “This is a secret ballot. I appeal to all MPs and MLAs to use their discretion and elect me to save democracy.”
Mr Sinha is contesting against the NDA’s candidate Droupadi Murmu, who is poised to sail through comfortably to become India’s 15th President. With counting of votes to be held on July 21, the new President is scheduled to take oath on July 25.
“I am not just fighting a political battle, but a fight against government agencies too. They have become too powerful and there is also a game of money involved,” Mr Sinha said.
Earlier on Sunday, Sinha, who played a role of union minister in Vajpayee government, released a statement on Twitter urging lawmakers to elect him in the crucial election. While he stands for safeguarding India’s democracy, Droupadi Murmu is “supported by those who are mounting daily attacks on democracy, Mr Sinha stressed in his statement.
“I stand for protecting secularism, a preambular pillar of our Constitution. My rival candidate belongs to a party that has made no secret of its resolve to destroy this pillar and establish majoritarian supremacy,” his statement read.
“I stand for encouraging politics of consensus and cooperation. My rival candidate is backed by a party that practices politics of conflict and confrontation,” he further added.
Reiterating his ‘battle of ideologies’ argument, Mr Sinha said the presidential election is not about the two candidates, but it’s a contest between two ideologies.
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