Veteran Congressman Sharief bats for Bhagwat as President

Former Union minister for Railways and Congress veteran C K Jaffer Sharief has stunned many by batting for Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat to become President of India. In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sharief has said that there was nothing wrong in considering Bhagwat's name for the post and that as a leader of the minority community, he thought of Bhagwat as a patriot.

'I personally feel that nobody should find fault with Bhagwat's name being considered as a choice for the Presidentship of our country. There are many schools of thoughts in our secular country and ohan Bhagwat may belong to one school of thought, but there should be no doubts about his patriotism, love for the people of India, loyalty to the nation and commitment to the constitution of India and democracy' he said in his letter.

Sharief also said that



people who oppose Bhagwat should show a 'large heart, faith and confidence in every upright patriotic Indian' and should not doubt 'as long as one works under the constitution of India'. 'As a Muslim and person belonging to a minority community of India, I feel that the minorities should not have any fear or crisis of confidence in Bhagwat's name being considered,' he added in the letter.

His letter comes at a time when Bhagwat denied being considered for the President's post. The letter also comes at a time when senior Congress leaders such as S M Krishna have jumped to the BJP. It may be recalled that Sharief was irked with the Congress in Karnataka after being denied a ticket in the previous assembly polls. The disgruntlement had snowballed into a full-fledged public spat. His letter has now sparked off speculations if Sharief would go the Krishna way.