'President's post is above politics'

From our correspondent

Itagar, July 6: Stating that the president’s post is above politics, NDA presidential candidate Ram th Kovind on Thursday asserted that his effort would be to take every state in the country towards prosperity. “A president never belongs to any party. All people irrespective of caste, creed and religion, state are equal. Vote bank is not important for me but development matters,” Koving said here while addressing the BJP legislators. Kovind, accompanied by Union Minister for Rural Development & Panchayati Raj rendra Singh Tomar, Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, BJP tiol general secretary Ram Madhav, Lok Sabha MP Ram Vichar Nittam and North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) convenor Himata Biswa Sharma, arrived here in the morning for a day-long visit to garner support of the state MLAs.

He said his dream is for a developed India where all sections of people and region would receive development.

“I need your support to fulfill my dream of a developed India and assured you that I will uphold the sanctity of the president post with utmost sincerity,” he appealed the law makers and added that equality among states and people should be the ‘mantra’ for a holistic approach towards development.

While appreciating the people of the state for their Hindi speaking skills, Kovind said, “I feel like I am with people from my home state Uttar Pradesh.”

“Aruchal Pradesh with its rich cultural heritage can be a small state for others but for me, it is equally important like UP and other states of the country,” he said.

Kovind said the isolation syndrome of the people of Northeast had been removed after NDA came to power at the Centre.

Kovind also convened a separate meeting with the nine legislators of People Party of Aruchal (PPA), a constituent partner of NEDA, where the MLAs extended their support to him.

Chief Minister Pema Khandu in his deliberation said that though the vote value for Aruchal is eight against one vote in comparison to UP where it is 208 against one, all the 47 seven BJP legislators including two independents and nine PPA MLAs would vote for him, ensuring his victory.

Khandu lauded Kovind for beginning his Northeast visit from the state and urged him to give more focus on NE especially Aruchal, keeping in mind the state’s strategic location which share intertiol border with Chi, Myanmar and Bhutan.

Earlier, Tomar in his speech informed that many political parties who are not with NDA are also supporting Kovind’s candidature while Rijiju said that it was for the first time that a presidential candidate had visited Aruchal, as earlier all the decisions were taken only in Guwahati.

Madhav while elaborating the procedure of the voting, urged the legislators to ensure their presence in the state capital on the voting day.