Congress hopes JD (U) changes stance, supports Bihar's 'daughter' Meira Kumar

Maintaining the same stand on their presidential nominee, the Congress Party hopes that the Janata Dal (United) changes its stance and puts its weight behind Meira Kumar, the 'daughter of Bihar'.

Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad yesterday said Meira and her father both did a lot for Bihar and so, every state party should not think about anybody except her.

Azad's comments came post following the Congress Party meet on the Presidential poll.

"JD (U) should support her as she is the daughter of Bihar. Babu Jagjivan Ram did a lot for Bihar and the entire country. Even Meira Kumar did a lot for Bihar. So every party of Bihar should not think about anybody but support Meira Kumar. Secondly, the ones who believe in secularism should support her," Azad told the media here.

Azad further clarified that their fight is not against NDA's presidential candidate Ramnath Kovind, but against the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) ideology.

"We are not personally against NDA's presidential candidate. We have an ideological fight with the BJP. Also, our candidate has a history. Her father was a freedom fighter. He was the cabinet minister of independent India's first cabinet. He fought for the poor and exploited in the parliament as well as outside," he said.

Former Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar was on Thursday announced as the Opposition' Presidential nominee.

The Opposition - Congress and the Communist Party of India (CPI), and other parties - met on Thursday to discuss the National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) decision on Presidential nominee Ramnath Kovind, following which they announced their candidate.

Earlier on Friday, NDA presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind filed his nomination.