Need to rid society of caste prejudices: Meira Kumar

Opposition presidential candidate Meira Kumar on Sunday stressed upon the need to rid the society of caste bias and strive for dalits' emancipation.

"Our political freedom will be meaningless unless we are able to rid the society of caste prejudices and emancipate dalits," she said, addressing a gathering of MPs and MLAs from the ruling CPI(M) led LDF and opposition Congress led UDF here this evening.

"All this is under serious threat. It is in danger. We are committed to ending poverty. We are here not to suppress the poor regardless of which religion they come from," she said.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, former chief ministers V S Achuthanandan and Oommen Chandy and Opposition Leader in the assembly Ramesh Chennithala were among those who shared the dais with Kumar.

Describing Kerala as a 'unique' state with 100 per cent literacy, which other states are still striving for, and communal harmony, she said the state is an example of how to live together with peace, love and affection.

"Seventeen major political parties unanimously decided to articulate very powerfully and strongly their desire to face in this presidential contest, the forces which are threatening the ideologies which we hold so dear. In this unanimous decision, many of the parties who had hitherto followed different paths, have come together by taking very firm ideological positions," she said.

"It is a great honour that they have reposed in me. The ideologies which we are fighting are sacred. We fight for the most suppressed, most marginalised and most humiliated," the former Lok Sabha speaker said.

While admitting that it was a 'difficult fight,' she said there have been many contests for presidentships.

Stating that this was the first time that the fight was or ideologies, she said the country is at the crossroads.

"There is no tolerance, There is so much fear," she said.

Pointing out that she had asked members of the collegium to listen to their "inner voice of conscience," Kumar said the people question her on numbers, but "I have said I have tremendous faith in ideals and the inner faith of conscience."

Vijayan said that at the national level, communal forces are unleashing violence and noted that recently two siblings were attacked during a train journey with one of them losing his life.

Meanwhile, Opposition presidential hopeful Meira Kumar on Sunday reiterated that she had requested members of the collegium comprising all MPs and members of state assemblies to "heed the inner voice of conscience and act in the best interest of the country." Talking to reporters after meeting the legislators of the ruling Congress and its ally, the DMK, jointly at a star hotel here, she said, "I have written to members of the collegium - all MPS and MLAs of every state and party seeking their support to my candidature in the forthcoming presidential poll."