New Delhi, July 21 (Agency) Opposition’s Presidential candidate Yashwant Sinha, who lost to ruling NDA’s candidate Draupadi Murmu, congratulated the President elect, adding that he hoped she would serve as the ‘custodian of Constitution’ without ‘fear or favour’. “I join my fellow citizens in congratulating Smt Droupadi Murmu on her victory in the Presidential Election 2022. India hopes that as the 15th President of the Republic she functions as the Custodian of the Constitution without fear or favour,” Sinha, a former union minister, said. In a statement, Sinha said “Despite the outcome of the election, I believe it has benefitted Indian democracy in two important ways. First, it brought most opposition parties on a common platform. This is indeed the need of the hour, and I earnestly appeal to them to continue – indeed, further strengthen – opposition unity beyond the presidential election.
It must be equally evident in the election of the Vice President”. “Second, in the course of my election campaign, I tried to highlight the views, concerns and commitments of the opposition parties on major issues before the nation and the common people. In particular, I voiced strong concern over the blatant and rampant weaponization of the ED, CBI, Income Tax Department and even the office of the Governor against opposition parties and their leaders,” he said. He said these agencies were being used to “engineer defection and topple Opposition governments”. “India has never seen political corruption of this magnitude”. “This coupled with the poisonous politics of polarisation, poses a grave danger to democracy and communal harmony in India,” he said. The former BJP leader added that he will “serve the cause” he believes in till his “last breath”. Draupadi Murmu, 64, is India’s first tribal President. She scored over 50 per cent of the total vote value after three rounds of counting.