'No place for ideology in President's job'

Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday deprecated attempts at projecting the presidential poll as a "fight of ideologies", insisting there was no place for ideologies in the functioning of the president who does not have "political decision making powers".

Apparently referring to the opposition's presidential nominee Meira Kumar's comments here yesterday that she was fighting an "ideological battle", Naidu said the only ideology the president could have was the commitment to the Indian Constitution.

"They are trying to politicise this (presidential) election. Politics is in elections. (They say) this is an ideological election. (This is) not an ideological election.

President does not have political decision-making powers," he said.

"(They say) fight of ideology. The only ideology president can have is commitment to the Constitution of India.

That is the only ideology. Other ideologies have no place," the minister said.

Kumar, who is pitted against Ramnath Kovind, the NDA nominee and a fellow Dalit, had said she was fighting an "ideological battle" and that it should not been misconstrued as a Dalit versus Dalit contest.

She had targeted the Modi government over the "atmosphere of fear" prevailing in the country, and insisted she was fighting for "freedom of expression and freedom of press".

Kumar, a former speaker of the Lok Sabha, had said,"There is so much of fear about what one should eat. There is fear about what one should say. I am also fighting for freedom of expression, freedom of press."

Hitting back, Naidu said,"my friends from the other side, I don't want to name the parties... they are trying to divert the attention, saying 'commitment to democracy'. Who is talking about it, who imposed Emergency, put all of us in jails? They are talking about democracy."