'Why Cong did not make Meira Kumar president when in power'

The Union minister said BJP respects Meira Kumar as much as Ram Nath Kovind and hence, the main opposition party should stop the "malafide campaign".

Hyderabad, Jun 24: Union minister Bandaru Dattatreya on Saturday sought to know why the Congress did not make Babu Jagjivan Ram prime minister and his daughter Meira Kumar president when the party was in power.

Slamming the opposition for putting up Meira Kumar as their candidate for the upcoming presidential elections, the Minister of State for Labour and Employment said the Congress was trying to "politicise" the presidential elections.

"Ram Nath Kovind is the most apt candidate for the post of president. Congress should not have put up their candidate for the presidential elections. If they (Congress) really wanted to make Meira Kumar president, why did not they appoint her when they were in power? Why did they not make Jagjivan Ram prime minister of this country," Dattatreya told reporters.

"The Congress is trying to politicise the elections," he said.

The Union minister said BJP respects Meira Kumar as much as Ram Nath Kovind and hence, the main opposition party should stop the "malafide campaign" against the ruling party's intentions of nominating Kovind for the president post.

Meanwhile, Sudarshan Bhagat, Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare said the Centre had sanctioned Rs 1,600 crore loan to Telangana for implementing sheep distribution scheme, out of which Rs 400 crore will be treated as subsidy.

PTI