Arjun Munda asks tribal MLAs, MPs to support Murmu, not to see candidature from political prism

Stressing that Droupadi Murmu's candidature in the country's Presidential race should not be seen from a mere political prism, Union Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda on Thursday appealed to all tribal legislators and parties to ''rise above politics'' and support her.

Earlier this week, BJP president JP Nadda had announced the 64-year-old's name as the saffron party-led National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) nominee for the country's top constitutional post.

If elected, Murmu, also the former governor of Jharkhand, will be the first tribal leader to be India's President, a strong possibility as the numbers are stacked in NDA's favour.

Munda, a tribal leader himself, described the nomination of Murmu a ''matter of immense joy and pride for the tribal community.'' ''...I think it is the biggest respect for the entire tribal community of the country in the 75th year of our Independence. I appeal to all tribal MLAs, MPs and those parties which do politics of tribals, such as the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, to support her. I am unable to understand why there is a delay in announcing their support,'' Munda told PTI.

Thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nadda for nominating a tribal woman for the top constitutional post, Munda said, ''This decision exposes those political parties that talked a lot about tribals and claimed themselves to be flag-bearers of tribal welfare, but did nothing for them. Our prime minister is extremely sensitive about them.'' Asking leaders cutting across political lines to not view Murmu's candidature from the ''prism of politics'', the minister said, ''She should be seen as tribal first, and therefore, everyone should come forward and express their respect...'' Considered a soft-spoken and an affable leader who hails from Mayurbhanj, a backward region of Odisha, Murmu has held various positions in the party, rose through the ranks and became a minister in the state when the BJP had stitched an alliance with the ruling Biju Janata Dal.

Incidentally, her name did the rounds as the BJP's likely choice for the top constitutional post in 2017 too, but the saffron party zeroed in on Ram Nath Kovind.

As a tribal woman candidate of the ruling combine, Murmu's candidature may persuade many regional parties, not aligned with either the NDA or the opposition, to back her, BJP sources said.

Even some opposition parties and leaders will not oppose her candidature, they said, adding Murmu was visibly delighted by the BJP's announcement.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)