Controversy about Sangma

More and more heated political controversy in India with the approaching date of the presidential polls planned for July 19 (click here and here). 

The candidate of the Congress Party is the expert Minister Mukherjee while the opposition has a surprise candidate Purno Agitok Sangma, Christian and tribal also supported by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) opposition party linked integralism Hindu. 

Sangma's candidacy seems to be purely instrumental. As stated in the article by Choudhury Ratnadip of Tehelka , Sangma took part in a race for Presidentsail to win only san other, the upcoming political elections. 

"Sangma had thrown his hat in the ring for the presidential candidate with the 2013 Assembly polls and 2014 Lok Sabha elections in mind. By portraying himself as the candidate of the tribals and Christians, he has taken a calculated risk that should serve him well in the long run." 

The figure Sangma - a former member of the Congress party - is very controversial and his alliance with the BJP and some of his statements have raised controversy. 

Recently, to a broadcaster who asked how a Christian like him justifies the support of the BJP suspected of connivance with the anti-Christian violence carried out by Hindu fundamentalist, he answered: " Where is the evidence that the BJP is responsible for the anti-Christian pogrom in Kandhamal? Let us not jump to conclusions ... we must not make such allegations." 

The Christian reaction not long in coming, "that of Sangma - said Cedric Prakash, Director of" Prashant ", a Jesuit center in Ahmedabad (Gujarat) for human rights, justice and peace – is the typical stand of an opportunist. It will be a very sad day for the country and for the cherished values ​​of democracy, should he be elected to be the President of India." 

"The BJP - continued Prakash - had really no one to put as their candidate. Besides, in the future they could always say that they supported a Christian and a tribal, groups which they have consistently demonised and attacked all these years! And surely they will continue their attacks in the future, too.. " 

Also Lenin Raghuvanshi, an atheist activist for Human Rights and executive director of the People's Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (Pvchr), has denounced the statements of the presidential candidate as "ridiculous" statements to "be condemned in full," a clear sign that "the ultra-nationalist Hindu BJP are manipulating PA Sangma." And to think - he continued - that Sangma is also supported by the Andhra Pradesh Federation of Churches (APFC). 

According Raghuvanshi, with his statements Sangma "is trying to clean up the image of the Hindu nationalists, hoping to attract tribal sympathy and votes.”

To know more:

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-07-08/india/32588464_1_sangma-presidential-polls-christianity

http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Raghuvanshi:-BJP-manipulates-Christian-candidate-for-president-25124.html

http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Activist-priest:-Sangma-is-a-disgrace-to-all-of-India-25154.html

Presidential Election 2012

Pranab Mukherjee with Tim Geithner

Less than a month before the elections of the Indian President, the positions have been clarified. The two main parties, the Congress Party and its allies, and the BJP, the opposition party, have not found an agreement for a common candidate. 

We should thus have two candidates, one is the current Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee claimed by the Congress and the other is Sangma, Christian and tribal supported by the BJP and other political formations. 

On 29 June, the Minister Mukherjee has presented his own candidature to the presence of Prime Minister Singh, Congress Party’s President Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul. 

The previous day was the turn of the candidate of the opposition, PA Sangma who in his appeal that has played up the 'tribal' card and renewed the charges against Sonia Gandhi for her foreign origins. 

If Sangma win, he would be the first time a Christian and a tribal representative office achieves the most Indian institutions.


To know more

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Sangma

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Pranab-Mukherjee

Who will be the next President?

Who will be the 13th President of the Republic of India? On July Mrs. Pratibha Devisingh Patil, first woman to hold this office, won’t be President, her term of office will expire after five years.

Indian Ocean satellite image

The Indian political world is in turmoil, great maneuvers and contacts started long for a not at all easy choice.
In India, the President has mainly representative and constitutional guarantee functions, but it is a very important office and symbolizes the unity of a country in which differences are many and sometimes very deep.
The President is elected by an electoral college consisting of the elected members of both houses of Parliament and of the state legislative assemblies and usually there is an agreement between the main political forces.

In more of sixty-year history of independent India has always tried to choose the President taking into account the great variety and diversity of Indian society for cultures, religions, castes, languages, genders, ethnic groups.
For example, although the Hindus are the overwhelming majority of citizens and parliamentarians, and then they could always elect a representative of that religion, were chosen even presidents Muslims and Sikhs. Presidents were people from various Indian states and belonging to various castes, Dalits have been Presidents and women too - as the current President.
Today there are many pretenders and it is difficult to predict what will happen. 

Apparently the candidatures of Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Vice of the President, Hamid Ansari, are very strong, but there are the names of Meira Kumar, Lok Sabha Speaker, of current Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and of Punjub Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.

Key will be the indication of the Congress Party who is working with representatives of other parties to find a candidate shared.
It should be noted, however, the position taken by some parties and organizations which propose that the next President is a tribal, ie a representative of the indigenous peoples of the subcontinent.
Others propose for the highest office of India a Christian, because one of them was never President and the Christian presence is both quantitatively and qualitatively important in India and in that sense there is the name of the current Defense minister A.K. Antony who is Christian or the name of P.A. Sangma of the Nationalist Congress Party leader who comes from a Christian and tribal communities.
Some commentators criticize this approach to the choice: “While the Presidential dialogue centres around meaningless qualifications such as a Muslim, Tribal, Christian or whatever – you can read on The Hindu - millions of Indian lives continue to ebb away in the darkest, bottomless pits of poverty and illiteracy, denial and deprivation. What the highest office of the land needs is a person of stature, integrity and courage, who will shed his political lineage after being elevated to the post, and fulfil his Constitutional obligations without fear or favour.”