The Hindu : Left flayed for questioning Kalam credentials

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jun 22, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh

Left flayed for questioning Kalam credentials

By Our Special Correspondent

VISAKHAPATNAM JUNE 21. The Left parties were trying to bring down the level of the Presidential elections by indulging in politicking, the Union Minister for Rural Development, M. Venkaiah Naidu, said here on Friday.

Talking to reporters, he noted that the CPI(M)'s candidate had been advised to go to Gujarat. "I would like to tell my Communist friends that this is neither a general election nor to the Assembly. They are free to go wherever they like; none can stop them. But here the electoral college is limited and consists of people's representatives -- MPs of both the Houses of Parliament and MLAs.

``They know the result. A record number of political parties are supporting Abdul Kalam as he is the people's choice, a non-political worker who does not belong to any political party, does not belong to any particular ideology. He was chosen because of his contribution to the country, because of his simplicity and more than anything else, because of his contribution to the cause of national security,'' Mr. Naidu said. Noting that it was a scene to be seen with leaders from all political parties, though opposed to each other in their areas and regions, were standing side by side when Dr. Kalam filed his nomination.

Mr. Naidu said that the Communist parties for their own political reasons got frustrated. They raised issues which were not relevant saying that the candidate had no political experience. The President always consulted Constitution pundits and the presidential candidate had enough knowledge of the Constitution, he claimed. "What political knowledge did Sonia Gandhi have in 1999 when the Communists wanted her to be the Prime Minister of the country?'' he asked.

On the objections raised as to how Dr. Kalam could continue his teaching avocation after becoming the President, the Minister wondered if it was wrong to pass on the knowledge he had in science and technology to the younger generation. He also reacted to the criticism of the Communists with vitriolic remark that the BJP indeed lacked knowledge and wisdom which the Communists had, like opposing the Congress and then joining hands with the latter. The Communists were in the habit of committing historic blunders and regretting them ages later like in the case of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose whose disciple they supported now, the poetry of Rabindranath Tagore and the Quit-India movement.

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