I’ll guarantee repeal of sedition legislation: Opposition presidential candidate Yashwant Sinha

By Express News Service

BENGALURU: Yashwant Sinha, the presidential candidate supported by Opposition events, on Sunday affirmed right here that India wants a ‘Rashtrapati’ who serves because the neutral custodian of the Constitution and never a silent rubber-stamp — and took a pledge to work for the repeal of the sedition legislation of the British Raj.

The veteran chief, who took 4 extra oaths, requested his opponent Droupadi Murmu, candidate of the BJP-led NDA alliance, to make the same announcement.

Briefing the press after collaborating within the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) assembly chaired by its chief and opposition chief Siddaramaiah at a resort, Sinha took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s regime.

“In the past eight years, the ruling dispensation has launched repeated assaults on democracy and secularism, which form the founding principles of our Republic. It has unleashed a poisonous communal propaganda,” he alleged.

Welcoming the Supreme Court’s indictment of former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma for her remarks on Prophet Mohammed, he regretted that BJP supporters who had rejoiced on the SC’s verdict on the Ram Janmabhoomi difficulty, at the moment are trolling the Supreme Court.

“I fully endorse the view and congratulate CJI NV Ramana for this forthright affirmation. Indeed, I have been saying, since I filed my nomination papers on June 27, that the sole purpose behind my acceptance of the combined Opposition’s offer to be their candidate is to safeguard the Constitution and its lofty values, which are today under unprecedented threat,” he stated. 

‘BJP kidnapped Shiv Sena MLAs’

The Centre has weaponised ED, CBI, Election Commission and even the Governor’s workplace in opposition to Opposition events, their leaders and gover nments. In Maharashtra, it toppled the coalition authorities by facili tating the kidnapping of Shiv Sena MLAs to Gujarat and Assam, each BJP-ruled states.

The Centre has no respect for the federal construction, because it has been continually encroaching the powers of States, he alleged. He additionally condemned the Karnataka authorities for attem pting to communalise the minds of the youth by introducing a brand new college curriculum.

He learn out his pledges, together with to restrain the Centre if it in any method aids and abets undemocratic practices like ‘Operation Kamal’. “I shall speak out against atte mpts to polarize India. I shall defend the Freedom of Press, Sp eech and other rights and freedoms the Constitution grants (with rea sonable restrictions) to citizens, regardless of their religion or ideology,” he said.