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Karnataka Cong Leader CK Jaffer Sharief Backs Mohan Bhagwat For President’s Post

Now CK Jaffer Shareef backs Mohan Bhagwat as next President of India; Congress listening?

Former Union Minister and veteran Congress leader CK Jaffer Shareef has said there is nothing wrong in making RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat the next President of India. Shareef termed him a ’patriot’.

Senior Congress leader and former Railway Minister CK Jaffer Shareef has backed the idea to make RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat the next President of India.

CK Jaffer Shareef has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying, "I personally feel nobody should find fault with Mohan Bhagwat’s name being considered for President."

The former Railway Minister praised Mohan Bhagwat for his ’commitment to the Constitution of India’. "...there should not be any doubt about his patriotism, love for the people of India, loyalty to the nation and commitment to the Constitution of India and to the democracy."

Shareef further said that RSS supported the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi after the Bangladesh war in the ’national interest’.

"Why anyone should now become small and narrow-minded to say that we have no faith and confidence in an India, who is patriot and who is wedded to democracy and also working for the welfare of the people," the veteran Congress leader asked.

Shareef also refused to buy the argument that with Bhagwati in President’s chair, Muslims would have to live in fear.

"As a Muslim and a person belonging to minority community of India, I feel that the minorities should not have any fear or crisis of confidence in Mohan Bhagwat’s name being considered," Shareef said.

This letter comes close on the heels of SM Krishna joining the BJP. Like Krishna, Shareef has been an old Congress hand in Karnataka, which is heading to Assembly polls next year.

Meanwhile, the Congress rushed to declare Shareef’s backing of Mohan Bhagwat as his personal opinion. Congress leader Tom Vadakkan said that this was ’personal opinion of CK Jaffer Shareef’ and that the Congress ’will comment on it once it is official’.

A senior BJP leader said that Mohan Bhagwat is just an excuse to reach out to senior party leadership as he himself has made it clear that all the talk of him being in the race for the post of President was not true. But this letter clearly reflects which way wind is blowing in Karnataka, he said.

Earlier, Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut had suggested that RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat be made the next President of India.