RSS veteran Murli Manohar Joshi to be next President of India?

RSS, the ideological parent of ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), wants Murli Manohar Joshi to be the candidate for the Presidential election.

Published: June 9, 2016 4:52 PM IST

By India.com News Desk

RSS veteran Murli Manohar Joshi to be next President of India?
BJP veteran leader and former HRD Minister Murli Manohar Joshi

New Delhi, June 9: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) veteran Murli Manohar Joshi may become the next President of India replacing Pranab Mukherjee. RSS, the ideological parent of ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), wants Murli Manohar Joshi to be the candidate for the Presidential election after term of Pranab Mukherjee ends in July this year. If it happens, it would be a historic moment as for the first time an RSS ideologue will hold the country’s second most coveted job.

According to a report of DailyO, Sangh Parivar wants BJP to nominate Murli Manohar Joshi for the Presidential post. Joshi, who comes from pure RSS background, currently represents Kanpur Parliamentary constituency. He is among the few leaders of the BJP who are true loyalist of RSS and didn’t turn rebel with times. (ALSO READ: Amitabh Bachchan or Sharad Pawar: Who will replace Pranab Mukherjee to be the President of India?)

82-year-old Joshi always bowed down to the RSS order. He gave up his parliamnetary constituency for Narendra Modi and never complained about being forced into retirement. He never felt ashamed of being accused of “saffronising” education during his tenure as the Union Human Resources Development Minister.

Unlike L K Advani and Yashwant Sinha, Murli Manohar Joshi doesn’t exchange strained relationship with PM Modi. His loyalty towards RSS makes him front runner for the presidential post. Nomination of Joshi could help BJP to get Brahmin votes in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls due next year.

The list of politician eyeing on President’s post is long. The contenders include former BJP president and current cabinet minister Venkaiah Naidu, speaker Sumitra Mahajan, Thaawar Chand Gehlot, the Dalit face of Modi’s cabinet, Draupadi Murmu, the first woman tribal to be sworn in as a governor and Uttar Pradesh governor Ram Naik. Names of actor Amitabh Bachchan and NCP supremo Sharad Pawar were also doing rounds.

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