Let me at the outset say that I have nothing against Draupadi Murmu or women in general. That Murmu has been nominated by the BJP and NDA to contest for the post of President is a good thing for her and her supporters but I am not sure whether it is a good thing for the nation. Gone are the days of Rajendra Prasad and Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan who held that august post and since then the persons that held that office have been of lesser weight and reputation but for occasional exceptions like Zakir Hussain and APJ Abdul Kalam. The nadir was reached when VV Giri became President known more for his signing the ordinance imposing Emergency in 1976. The present incumbent Kovind is a lightweight and objectively put Murmu is more so. By sheer dint of personality they should be able to perform their duties within India and abroad. It is also not necessary that the Presidential candidate should be from the political arena. There are many achievers in various fields today in contemporary India who could have been chosen and since I am a man from industry, two names immediately come to mind, those of Ratan Tata and Narayan Murthy of Infosys. However, the present political dispensation while nominating people to critical posts like even the president tends to look for people who are pliable and will look the other way in the event of having to take decisions on controversial issues.
