By: Lalit Garg
By declaring Draupadi Murmu as its candidate for the country’s fifteenth presidential election, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance has raised the value of the tribal community, especially by bringing tribal life into the mainstream. This decision shows the political acumen and maturity of the BJP. She is a tribal daughter who will be the first tribal to reach the highest constitutional post and the second woman President of the Republic of India, which will give new strength to the democracy of India, along with the world. India is also changing rapidly. A new political vision, a new political environment is taking shape in the all-pervading turmoil, in this era, with Draupadi Murmu becoming the President, not only the dignity of this highest constitutional post will get a new record, but the national existence and identity will also be strengthened. Because her image has been that of a knowledgeable and soft-spoken politician of settled democratic traditions.
It is expected that her presence as the constitutional head of the country will reassure every Indian especially women tribal for their peaceful and safe life. Only the tribal can feel the pain of the tribal – that is, the pain of the reality that has been experienced. In my view, it is not surprising if Draupadi Murmu emerges as the biggest female heroine to raise the voice of the tribal and the oppressed in today’s world. Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had sent a Muslim APJ Abdul Kalam to Rashtrapati Bhavan and now Narendra Modi first made a Dalit Ramnath Kovind the President and now Draupadi Murmu, a Scheduled Tribe, is being elevated to the highest post of the executive, which is certainly a healthy, ideal and aware democracy& as a sign of auspiciousness.
The credit for the presentation of Draupadi Murmu as a brilliant and historic presidential candidate goes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President J.P. Nadda’s strategy. Murmu’s nomination is only sharpening the edge of lower class politics on which BJP has been working hard for a long time. The neglect of the tribal community across the country has been in the news since independence; Modi has been active since the beginning for the interest and welfare of the tribal’s, affecting about 11 percent of the total electorate and about 25 percent of the total voter turnout.
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Particularly, the BJP, comprising Narendra Modi, Amit Shah and J.P. Nadda, is giving special attention to the tribal community so that it can bring itself out of the limited identity of the urban party. When the names of presidential candidates were being discussed, I was hoping to get some names from the tribal community itself. Murmu was on top of them. Certainly, having a tribal woman in Rashtrapati Bhavan will enhance the image of BJP among the tribal community, whose direct impact can be seen in states like West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand and Gujarat.
Narendra Modi has not only stunned and surprised the nation but has been doing miracles with his decisions; the same has been done by announcing the name of Draupadi Murmu. Because many targets have been hit with this one arrow. The BJP has been struggling hard in these states due to the presence of very powerful regional parties like Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, BJD in Odisha and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha in Jharkhand. Whereas in all these three states the dominance of Congress is negligible. In such a situation, by sending Draupadi Murmu to Rashtrapati Bhavan, BJP will not only be able to ease its fight, but will also be successful in making its place in these states. The elections in Gujarat are in front, there is also a tribal community in abundance, the effect of this decision will be seen there as well. On the other hand, for the Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh, its fight against the conversion of a large number of tribal’s on behalf of Christian missionaries may also become easier now.
BJP has been showing efficient and mature politics in these years. Their leadership, showing strategic acumen, made a tribal-Dalit-backward uprising over the years by making a person from a caste-backward background the Prime Minister, a person from a Dalit background as the President and now a tribal woman as the presidential candidate. The meaning has changed. It has been giving the name of social harmony, after a tribal politician becomes the President, there will be justice for the tribal and backward class, it is believed. It is wrong to say that the President in India is only an office of symbolic importance.
Coming from a Dalit background, President K.R. Narayanan took a tough stand on the communal violence in Gujarat in 2002, forcing the then state government to change its stand on some matters, while President Giani Zail Singh, who came from a backward background, took many of the intoxicated Rajiv Gandhi government. The issues were sweated. Ramnath Kovind also strengthened the democracy of the country with his decisions taken from time to time. There is every possibility that Draupadi Murmu will be elected as the President and after taking oath of this office, she will also display the same determination and make her tenure memorable for the country, which is free from terror, free from scams and free from communalism. In which Dalit, Adivasi and backward classes should get an equal and fair lifestyle of living.
Being a candidate from a simple family to the highest office of the country is a testimony to the glory of Indian democracy. Nothing can be better than being Draupadi Murmu’s candidate as President and marching towards being elected is an inspiration to crores of people with similar background. This will not only give more strength to Indian democracy, but will also increase its fame. There is no doubt that Draupadi Murmu has been an ordinary politician, but India has a history that ordinary people have done ‘extraordinary’ things.
Draupadi Murmu was born on 20th June 1958 in Baidposi village of Mayurbhanj district of Odisha. His father’s name is Biranchi Narayan Tudu. They belong to the tribal ethnic group, the Santhals. She graduated from Rama Devi Women’s College. After this Draupadi started the job from the state secretariat of Odisha. She is married to Shyam Charan Murmu. In 1997, she became a local councilor for the first time by winning the election of Nagar Panchayat for the first time. Three years later, she got a chance to become an MLA from the same constituency of Rairangpur, first in 2000, and then twice as a minister in the BJP-BJD government. In 2015, she was made the first woman governor of Jharkhand. Former President V.V. Giri was also born in Odisha, but he was originally from Andhra Pradesh. Murmu’s life witnessed many crises and struggles, which shows her vitality. Apart from being a widow in her youth, she didn’t feel any mental breakage even with the death of two sons. During this, she continued to encourage the entire family including her only daughter Itishree. Her eyes moistened when she was being administered oath as the Governor of Jharkhand. She is an ideal and courageous woman of religious rites. They have a special influence of Indian culture and rituals. Two days before the announcement of the name of her presidential candidate, she went to my son Gaurav Garg’s in-laws’ house in Rairangpur, and while feeding the cows, asked the operators there to pray for me. Perhaps she had some hope and possibility that her name might be announced. Gaumata heard the call of her heart.
Today, the fire of communal hatred is being deliberately fuelled in the country. All kinds of crises are being created; it is a great irony of democracy that heads are counted here, not brains. Our democracy is suffering because of this, it has been suffering. More heads are coming, not the brain. There are more masks of caste, religion and class, less faces of humanity. By deceitful use of intelligence, they create a maze of equations, from which Abhimanyu did not learn to get out. In fact, the people who drive democracy need such training so that a new definition of democracy can be rewritten.
This vision made Draupadi Murmu’s role not only important but decisive as well. Therefore, by placing this burden on Draupadi Murmu, the country wants to be sure that the rule of the constitution is from Arunachal Pradesh to President. It will run uninterrupted till Bengal and the country’s borders will be completely safe because the President is the supreme commander of the armies. This will be the first time in the history of India that the dignity of the office will be increased by placing a powerful tribal woman as the President. (The author is a writer, journalist, columnist & can be reached at lalitgarg11@gmail.com)
