Many leaders indicated that the July 17 election will not go unopposed in view of the "betrayal" by the BJP.
Soon after the BJP Parliamentary Board meeting was over, Prime Minister Narendra Modi picked up the phone to convey to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and former PM Manmohan Singh the decision to propose Bihar Governor Ram Nath Kovind's name for India's next President.
But that did not placate the Opposition, which said that the selection betrayed the BJP's promise of coming up with some names to pick one consensus candidate from. "We expected consultations on names before a final decision," said Rajya Sabha Opposition leader Ghulam Nabi Azad.
The Congress "reserved" its comments on Kovind's name till its meeting with other Opposition parties on Thursday to discuss the issue. Many leaders indicated that the July 17 election will not go unopposed in view of the "betrayal" by the BJP. Most parties did not reject the Dalit leader's name. BSP chief Mayawati said that her party was positive about his nomination because he is a Dalit, and hoped the Opposition does not field a popular Dalit name to counter him.
The former UP CM, however, said that a non-political Dalit choice would have been better.
West Bengal CM Mamata Mukherjee also said that she won't say — "not even for a moment" — that Kovind was unfit to be India's President, but added that "someone of the stature of Pranab Mukherjee, or even Sushma Swaraj or Advani ji may have been chosen." CPM National General Secretary Sitaram Yechury hinted at opposing the BJP candidate, saying "it's a political fight."
Samajwadi Party leader Naresh Agarwal said the Opposition will clear its stand when all non-NDA parties meet at the Parliament House Library at 4.30 pm on Thursday. Sonia will preside over the meeting for a possible "final decision."
Though the ruling NDA has the near-required numbers, the Opposition camp has been holding meetings over the Presidential election, also to bring parties together before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Azad endorsed Yechury's comment that the consultations held by BJP ministers appear to be just a "public relations exercise." Asked to comment on the BJP fielding a Dalit candidate for the top Constitutional post, Azad said, "...I don't want to comment on this...I don't want to comment on the merits and demerits of the candidate."
He said that the minorities, backward castes and Dalits were not priorities for the BJP-led government at the Centre. Atrocities on Dalits in UP's Saharanpur were a clear example of this, he said.
On whether Bihar CM Nitish Kumar would attend the June 22 meeting, Azad said the JD(U) leader has assured him that somebody from his party would. Kumar has, of late, been seen by some warming up to the BJP.
CPI National Secretary D Raja said the BJP has chosen a person with RSS background. "We are against it, but we will have to discuss the issue within the CPI and with other Opposition parties," he said.
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