Mukut Minz will also make a fine President

The next President of India will be elected in less than two months from now. But there is little clarity on who he or she is going to be. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party as well as the opposition are waiting, like boxers in a ring, for an opening, keeping their cards close to their chest. Only a handful of people seem to know the shortlist of names and the considerations that will eventually push one name ahead of others. Is this the best way of electing the President, even if he is largely a figurehead occupying a ceremonial post?

That the President can queer the pitch under certain circumstances or correct the course is now widely appreciated. From Fakhruddin Ahmed to Gyani Zail Singh and APJ Abdul Kalam, there are enough lessons to warrant that the President is chosen with care, due diligence and with more consultation than is evident.

In a large, diverse and vibrant country like India, should the choice of the first citizen, the next incumbent of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, be left to a handful of politicians ? However, with neither the states or the people and Parliament currently having much choice in the selection, they have no option but to wait for the handful of movers and shakers in Lutyen’s Delhi to let them know the name of the chosen one.

While there have been stray suggestions that eminent jurist Fali Nariman or former Governor and diplomat Gopal Krishna Gandhi would make a fine President, the buzz is that the present Jharkhand Governor Draupadi Murmu is to be the NDA’s nominee for the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

She would be the first Adivasi to be the President and only the second woman to occupy the high position. And it is being argued that the opposition would find it difficult to defy the symbolism and pit a candidate against the non-controversial lady. She is already the Governor of Jharkhand and has had some training and experience of handling expectations from the Constitutional post.

While there are other Governors, and women at that, Murmu’s chances are said to be better because she hails from Odisha, a state which is heading for an assembly election and where the Bharatiya Janata Party is making a determined bid to wrest power from the Biju Janata Dal. Installing an Adivasi from Odisha as the President, it is argued, could help reap electoral dividends in that state.

As if such cynical considerations are not enough, another unspoken reason could be the expectation that Murmu can be trusted to be a pliable President, more pliable than political heavyweights like Sharad Pawar or even Parkash Singh Badal. She has been a loyal BJP worker, legislator, minister and now Governor and in any case as President she will be bound to act on the advice of the Council of Ministers. As a figurehead, occupying a ceremonial position and as the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, she will probably be a copybook president and avoid striking any discordant note even in her speeches.

There is also no reason to believe Murmu will be worse than Pratibha Patil, the first and only woman to have been the President so far. But at the same time, it must be remembered that there are other, even more deserving Adivasis from Odisha itself who will possibly make an even better President than Murmu.

Just to cite an example, Dr Mukut Minz for one. He is said to be one of the leading transplant surgeons in the country and though publicity shy, his name became known when he led a team of 50 doctors to operate on Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj. Honoured with a Padma Shri this year, the good doctor is said to have transplanted over 3,500 kidneys, was trained in Germany, Austria, Norway and the US, is internationally known for his research in the field and happens to be one of the few doctors here who have transplanted the Pancreas.

The advantage of having Dr Minz as the President would be that he will shatter the popular stereotype of Adivasis being ‘Junglees’ and Maoists. An internationally recognised researcher in his field, he would lend dignity and gravitas to the august office. And at the same time as President he would be motivating generations of Adivasis and have the opportunity to address their concerns.

What’s more, he is also from Odisha as Murmu is. So, BJP can still cash in on his appointment in the state polls.

What I do not know, however, is the religion that he may follow. Could he be a Christian by any chance? If he is one, it would explain why Murmu may still be preferred over him by the present dispensation.