Defying his party’s stand on the matter, Karnataka Congress leader Jaffer Sharief on Saturday threw his weight behind RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and backed him for the President’s post.
Sharief said there “should not be any doubt about his patriotism” and also wrote to PM Modi expressing his support, as per a report by NDTV.
"There are different schools of thoughts in India and it is but natural for such a vast country. Shri Mohan Bhagwat may belong to one school of thought but there should not be any doubt about his patriotism, love for the people of India, loyalty to the nation," Sharief said in his letter to the PM.
Congress has made it clear that it will oppose any move to make Bhagwat the President, saying, “It is very clear that we do not support RSS ideology”.
BJP’s ally, the Shiv Sena, earlier this week said that Bhagwat as India’s President was a good idea, the report mentions.
"Somebody with a clean image should occupy it. We have heard that Mohan Bhagwat's name is being discussed for President. If India has to be made a Hindu Rashtra, Bhagwat will be a good choice for President," Sena's Sanjay Raut had said.
Meanwhile, Bhagwat himself has dismissed all talk that he could stand in the elections for next President, calling it “entertainment”.
Incumbent Pranab Mukherjee’s term is set to end on July 24, 2017.