Shiv Sena bats for Mohan Bhagwat as President, says RSS chief will make India a Hindu Rashtra | India Today
As political corridors are abuzz with talks of who’s going to be the next President of India, several names are doing the rounds, ranging from BJP veteran L K Advani to even superstar Amitabh Bachchan.
Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut has added yet another name to the list of probables–RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. Raut said Bhagwat will be good choice to make India a ‘Hindu Rashtra’.
Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena has a knack for not always voting the same way as rest of the BJP allies. In the past, it has voted for Congress-backed candidates–Pratibha Patil in 2007 and Pranab Mukherjee in 2012.
The presidential election is due in July this year.
WHAT SHIV SENA SAID AND HOW IT MAKES PRESIDENTIAL RACE INTERESTING:
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Batting for Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said someone with clean image should occupy the country’s highest post, adding that the party has heard Bhagwat’s name was being discussed for President of India.
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The Sena MP said that if India is to be made a Hindu Rashtra, then Mohan Bhagwat is a good choice. “This has been discussed in our party. Even Sena President Uddhav Thackeray is of the opinion that for making India a Hindu Rashtra, Bhagwat should be made the President,” he said.
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Sanjay Raut said a staunch Hindu nationalist like Narendra Modi was the Prime Minister and another Hindutva proponent, Yogi Adityanath, had become Chief Minister of India’s most populous state Uttar Pradesh.
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“He (Mohan Bhagwat) is a strong leader, staunch nationalist, has a deep knowledge of the Constitution. So if the BJP wants to make India a ‘Hindu Rashtra’, his name must be considered. He is the most suitable candidate,” Sanjay Raut said.
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“In the last two Presidential polls, Balasaheb (Thackeray) had gone against the flow and done what was in the interest of the nation. Even then, the Presidential candidates had come to ‘Matoshree’ to discuss the elections,” Sanjay Raut said in response to a question on whether he would attend the dinner hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to strategise about the Presidential polls.
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Earlier reports had hinted at Lal Krishna Advani being the frontrunner for the president’s post. Some suggested that Narendra Modi was thinking of giving a befitting ‘gurudakshina’ to Advani by nominating him for the post.
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Another senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi too is believed to be in the running for the president’s post. In an irony of sorts, Joshi had reportedly met RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat to discuss the Presidential polls with him.
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Both L K Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi are accused in the Babri Masjid demolition case in which the final verdict is awaited. Joshi and Advani led the Ayodhya movement and were colleagues at RSS too.
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Manipur Governor Najma Heptullah too is said to be in running for the presidential race. A five-time Rajya Sabha member, Heptullah was a Congress member till 2004.
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Actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha had pitched Amitabh Bachchan’s name as the President of India. The BJP leader said it would be a matter of pride if a cultural icon like Amitabh Bachchan was made the country’s president.
