Droupadi Murmu seeks to make history

After swearing-in as the Prime Minister of the country, Narendra Modi debunked several pre-conceived notions. A worker so indefatigably driven that he altered the established framework of governance and gave a makeover like never before. It is the aura of his personality that changed the latent narratives and did not confine himself to the unnecessary traditional protocol. He never felt the need to preserve power and hence in broader perspective he stopped entertaining the interests of a few. His style and substance are unique, one that has no parallel in the country’s political history and in doing so he raised the global profile of India.

He is unlike his earlier counterparts; he gave several clichés, a reality check. The nation that was being exposed to a galaxy of leaderships who only lured the masses with false promises, Narendra Modi came with the intent of delivering governance to the people right at their doorsteps. He removed the bottlenecks in the government that made the system lethargic. He made the coveted Padma awards, the real Indian awards in true sense. His USP of taking new ideas to implementation and ensuring its successful execution helped him develop a connect with the citizens. He also solicited people’s suggestions for his speech during important occasions like the Independence Day. He has been criticised time and again for his foreign tours but people have now realised that through these visits, he made sure that the expatriate Indians are also involved in the country’s developmental processes.

Whether it is his dialogue with the people through ‘Mann Ki Baat’ or his dialogue with the beneficiaries of the union government’s various schemes, Narendra Modi proved that he is a leader who is always connected with his citizens. He never fitted in conventional theories of branding leaders. This has been proved on several occasions in the last eight years of his tenure as the Prime Minister of the country. He has always worked for the neglected and deprived sections of the society. He comes up with schemes that will help empower the poor, the downtrodden and the marginalised sections of the society. During the Kumbh Mela of 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had washed the feet of one of the safai karmacharis, who had cleaned river Ganga. It was his way of respecting and paying homage to this community. He sent a clear message to the world that we are indeed indebted to this community. Also, six months ago, during the inauguration of the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor in Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi bowed down before a differently abled Shikha Rastogi. Such gestures reiterate that he is also like any other Indian citizen.

By announcing Draupadi Murmu’s candidature for the Presidential position, prime minister Narendra Modi’s idea of honouring the neglected sections of the society got reaffirmed. There is no doubt that the Bharatiya Janata Party has strengthened the bond of national unity and social harmony by fielding a very capable woman from the tribal community for the post of President. The Santhal community in Jharkhand has made a significant contribution during the struggle against the British rule. In 1855, the tribal farmers of the Santhal community had revolted against the British government. This rebellion shook the British empire. The tribal farmers were used to community farming for years and the British government had decided to hand over the ownership of their lands to the landlords. This

sparked an unrest and a movement was started by this rebellious Santhal farmers which gradually spread across the country. By announcing the candidature of Draupadi Murmu for the post of the President, is like lauding the valuable contribution of this warring tribe to the freedom struggle.

To date, this community has not had the opportunity to hold the highest office in the country. Draupadi Murmu has got this opportunity on her merit. Earlier, when she was appointed as the Governor of Jharkhand, eyebrows were raised as to ‘who is she’. Draupadi Murmu does not meet the set criteria for the post of the President, often highly educated and a representative of the leading castes and tribes. The idea behind Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to announce Murmu’s candidature is to broaden the ideology of nationalism. She belongs to the tribe where Naxalite movement spreads rapidly and where the poor people are often misled and held hostage on the basis of terror. And Modi’s idea of giving a woman from this community the opportunity to hold the highest rank in the country proves that he indeed thinks outside the box.

Draupadi Murmu has also experienced the harsh realities of life, the survival struggle of a common man. She has endured the blows of situations in life, but without making a fuss, she continued to tread the path in public domain. Born in an ordinary family, she battled several odds to complete her graduation. She began working as an assistant in the irrigation and energy departments of the Odisha state government. Later, Draupadi Murmu also worked as a teacher for many years.

She has devoted her life serving the society and empowering the poor, the downtrodden and the marginalised. Her contribution towards women empowerment during this period was commendable. Later, she joined mainstream politics and served as a BJP corporator and later as an MLA and also she got a chance in Odisha’s cabinet. She gained vast administrative exposure while serving both as the MLA and as the minister. She has had a clean political career. During her tenure, there have been no charges filed against her. She has a rich administrative experience and has an outstanding gubernatorial tenure.

Draupadi Murmu has been honoured by the Odisha Legislative Assembly as the best MLA in 2007 for her extraordinary work towards public service and women empowerment. Her personality is one that should inspire the youth. And only because of her immaculate path in politics, Murmu has been bestowed with the opportunity of holding the highest position in the country. Given the Bharatiya Janata Party’s own strength and the support from opposition parties, Murmu’s election as the President will remain only a formality. This article is an opportunity to applaud Draupadi Murmu, who will be the second female and first tribal female President of our country.

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