It’s a historic decision taken by NDA: RSS body on BJP choosing Murmu as prez candidate

New Delhi, Jun 22: Hailing as "historic" the BJP-led NDA's decision to name Draupadi Murmu as its presidential poll candidate, the Akhil Bhartiya Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram on Thursday appealed to all parties to elect her unanimously and show commitment towards the all-round progress of the tribal communities.

In a statement in Hindi, the RSS affiliate said the tribal society had to suffer neglect for years despite being an integral part of the Indian tradition and culture as well as the bearer of a glorious tradition. With the country being home to over 12 crore tribals, Murmu's nomination as the NDA candidate is a move towards bringing a social change, it stated.

The country will be greatly benefitted from her rich experience, understanding of policy matters and compassionate nature if elected as President of India, the Akhil Bhartiya Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram said. "It's a historic decision taken by the BJP-led NDA to nominate a Santhali woman as a presidential candidate when the entire country is celebrating the glorious epoch of 75 years of Independence under the theme of 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav'," it said in a statement.

Her nomination for the presidential polls is a "matter of pride" for the entire tribal community, it added. "Despite being an integral part of the Indian tradition and culture and the bearer of a glorious tradition, the tribal society of the country had to suffer neglect for years," the RSS-affiliate said, adding it believes that Murmu's nomination is a step towards bringing a change in the society.

The Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and all constituents of NDA for naming Murmu as their presidential candidate. It said, "The NDA government at the Centre has taken a commendable step in terms of bringing in a social change by naming Droupadi Murmu as the presidential candidate," With this, all political parties have got an opportunity to "show their commitment towards the all-around progress of tribal society in the upcoming presidential election," the RSS affiliate said.

"Therefore, we call upon all the political parties to support the nomination of Draupadi Murmu and elect her as the President of the country unanimously," it added. Describing Murmu's journey in life so far as a "saga of strife", the Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram said she made a place for herself in politics and society while working "under extremely adverse conditions".

For this reason, she had the privilege of being appointed as the governor of Jharkhand, it added. "She is from Mayurbhanj district in Odisha. She has devoted her life to serving society and empowering the poor, the downtrodden and the marginalised. She has rich administrative experience and had an outstanding gubernatorial tenure in Jharkhand," the RSS body said.

PTI