Congress Faces Music Over Its Controversial Remarks on Presidential Candidate Droupadi Murmu

The comments made by Congress spokesperson Ajoy Kumar on NDA Presidential candidate, Droupadi Murmu, have put his party in a soup. Speaking about the candidate, Kumar said that Murmu “represents an evil philosophy” and should not be made a symbol of the tribal communities.

The unwarranted remarks have led to a political storm with the BJP calling Kumar’s comments disrespectful to the tribals. Murmu hails from Santhal tribe and has held the office of Governor of Jharkhand in the past.

Leader of Opposition in Jharkhand Assembly, Babulal Marandi, reacted to the controversy, saying that “Congress is having trouble because for the first time Prime Minister Modi and NDA leaders nominated a tribal woman for President's post. Ajoy Kumar’s statement shows what Congress thinks about tribal and women.”

In Odisha, dramatic scenes were witnessed during the assembly session. BJP MLAs raised anti-Congress slogans and trooped into the well of the House demanding an apology from Congress and passing a censure motion against it for the remarks against Murmu. They called Congress’s stand on Murmu “anti-tribal, anti-woman and anti-Odia”.

Opposition chief whip Mohan Majhi of BJP said outside the House that “Ajay Kumar’s remarks are unfortunate. This is not his personal opinion, but the views of Congress and its leader Rahul Gandhi. We demand an unconditional apology from Congress and passing of a censure motion against the party in Odisha Assembly.”

BJP leader, Amit Malviya tweeted saying that BJP would hold massive protests across Odisha, Jharkhand and other prominent Tribal-majority areas, to protest “Congress spokesperson Dr Ajoy Kumar’s atrocious comment against NDA’s presidential nominee Smt Draupadi Murmu”.

Earlier, the Congress-supported Presidential candidate, Yashwant Sinha, had said that Murmu would only be a “rubber-stamp” President.

Both Murmu and Sinha are campaigning across the nation, meeting legislators of various states. While Murmu is positioning herself as a candidate representative of the most vulnerable sections of society, Sinha is doing the rounds with the promise that he would not let CAA get implemented.

Till now, Murmu has been able to garner the support of not only NDA but also of the non-NDA parties such as Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, YSR Congress, Telegu Desam Party and so on, that would help her seal a victory with a larger margin.

Also Read: Presidential Polls: As Voting Day Draws Closer, Disarray In Opposition Over Droupadi Murmu’s Candidature Increases