Africa’s Droupadi democracy hopes
Photo credit Twitter Rashtrapati Bhavan
By Manish Anand
New Delhi, July 25: Droupadi Murmu on Monday was sworn in as India’s 15th President amid jubilation in a large section of the society. Her journey appears to have caught the fancy of several countries, including many in the African continent.
An envoy of an African country in a conversation with a senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) functionary said that his nation is taking a lot of interest in the life and career of Murmu.
“She is a fascinating brand ambassador of democracy for many of the African countries. A tribal woman from one of the most backward states of India came through the lowest strata of the society to become President of India. This is an extraordinary achievement of democracy and also demonstration of the capacity of the people’s power,” said the envoy to the BJP leader.
Some of the African countries have seen decades of violent strife, including civil wars, while poverty is as endemic as some of the viral diseases there.
“She gives hopes to the people of the African countries that their aspirations can be addressed by the democratic process. We are learning to adapt to the democratic ways of governance, and Murmu’s overwhelming victory in the President’s election is making us interested,” added the envoy.
The BJP is also projecting Murmu’s elevation to the highest Constitutional office of India as a great achievement of the Indian democracy. Hailing from about nine per cent tribal population in the country, Murmu, who had previously been a teacher, a legislator in the Odisha Assembly, a minister in the state, and also Governor of Jharkhand had battled some of the worst personal crises in her life, while charting a successful political career.
After taking oath of the office, Murmu said: “From the background that I come from, it was like a dream for me to get elementary education. But despite many obstacles, my determination remained strong and I became the first daughter of my village to go to college.”
She underlined that she belongs to tribal society. “I have got the opportunity to rise from serving as a ward councillor to becoming the President of India. This is the greatness of India, the mother of democracy. It is a tribute to the power of our democracy that a daughter born in a poor house in a remote tribal area can reach the highest Constitutional position in India,” she said.
Murmu also noted that “I attained the post of President is not my personal achievement, it is the achievement of every poor person in India”.
“My election is a proof of the fact that the poor in India can have dreams and fulfil them too,” remarked Murmu.
The 15th President of India also stated “it is a matter of great satisfaction for me that those who have been deprived for centuries and those who have been denied the benefits of development, those poor, downtrodden, backwards and tribals are seeing their reflection in me”.
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