The President is the “symbol of the nation”, someone who “represents the nation but does not rule the nation”, “a great figurehead”, who neither rules nor governs, but holds an office vested with “authority and dignity
Natasha Jha Bhaskar
India got its 14th President this week in Shri Ramnath Kovind, the first BJP leader in the Rashtrapati Bhavan. President Kovind said that he was grateful to all for this responsibility and would stand by and represent all 125 crore fellow Indians.The former Governor of Bihar, nominated by the BJP-led NDA, won the presidential election receiving over seven lakh votes in the Electoral College and defeating Opposition candidate Meira Kumar.
Before becoming the Governor of Bihar, Ramnath Kovind had served as a BJP MP in the Rajya Sabha twice and had headed the party’s SC-ST wing for a while. The 71-year-old has held key positions in
parliamentary committees during his 12-year stint as a lawmaker. A lawyer by training, Shri Ram Nath Kovind has addressed the United Nations as India’s representative in 2002. He practiced at both the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court for 16 years. The 14th President is also the
country’s first president born and brought up in Uttar Pradesh. He took over the top constitutional post of India—as the head of the state and supreme commander of the Indian Armed forces.
After his thumping victory, President Kovind recalled his early life in his native village where he used to reside in a small mud house with his siblings. He said that it was an emotional moment for him. They had a thatched house, the walls were made of mud. The roof leaked and they used to wait for the rain to stop.
His rise from Kanpur’s Paraunkh village to 340-room Rashtrapati Bhavan is indeed inspirational. President Kovind’s speech at the Central Hall was a reminder of his humble origins, and the strength of Indian democracy, which indeed is a great social leveler. From here, the country will look upto the first citizen for upholding the values of the Indian Constitution. His responsibility will be, to be the vigilant guardian of the Constitution. He will be looked as an epitome of stability and continuity. The President is the “symbol of the nation”, someone who “represents the nation but does not rule the nation”, “a great figurehead”, who neither rules nor governs, but holds an office vested with “authority and dignity”. However, in times of political or constitutional crisis, the role of the President is of immense significance. He has many tools of intervention at his disposal to send cautionary signals at the time of deviance. The office of the president is an important check in our democratic system.
This was also perhaps the first time in living memory that an incoming president chose to make his inaugural speech
immediately after taking oath of office. President Kovind’s first address was a clear reflection of the challenging times we are living in. He said India”s unity in diversity was the key to its success, echoing the words of his predecessor Pranab Mukherjee who underscored the need for unity, pluralism and tolerance in his farewell speech at the Central Hall. India needs argumentative Indian, not an intolerant Indian.
When he recalled his days as a Member of Parliament and said that they often agreed, and sometimes disagreed, but learnt to respect each other substantiated the difficult days which regular adjournments and disruptions are posing to Parliamentary democracy today. The opposition’s restlessness over issues and Parliament adjournments has repeatedly raised questions on the sincerity of lawmakers.
The underlying theme of President Kovind’s address was rising aspirations of Indians and what the country has the potential to do in upcoming years. He said “Nations are not built by governments alone. Each citizen of India is a nation builder. Each one of us is a custodian of India”s well-being.” Stressing on the fact that there has to be an increased sense of ownership.
President Kovind said that, 21st century India will be in conformity with its ancient values and compliant with the fourth industrial revolution, he said “There is no dichotomy, no question of choice. We must combine tradition and
technology, the wisdom of an age-old Bharat and the science of a contemporary India.” President Kovind said “In a globalised world, our responsibilities are also global,” the global community looks to India for solutions to international problems, on terrorism, money laundering or climate change.
As evident from President Kovind’s first speech, the underlying theme of India’s development in the coming years will revolve around social progress, inclusive growth and participatory development. Egalitarian society and equitable growth will define “ India’s Rise” in the coming years.
(The writer is a senior analyst, Lok Sabha TV)
