In the early years of Independence, Dalit students at a primary school in Paraunkh village of Uttar Pradesh were not free to drink water as they pleased. They had to inform their teacher, who would then ask another student to give them water. This protocol was not required for students from savarna families.
What is driving the story
Kovind also leaves insights into his life after demitting office in July 2022 and offers personal accounts of his interactions with and experiences of Modi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and LK Advani. He recalls attending a massive VHP rally at Delhi’s Boat Club on April 4, 1991, organised in support of the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. Kovind says Modi was instrumental in a 1991 signature campaign for the temple. He eventually joined the party in April 1991.
It offers a glance into his interaction with Opposition leaders through his political career – as a BJP worker, as an MP, as governor, as President, as well as head of the high-level committee to take a call on simultaneous elections. Atal Bihari Vajpayee and VHP leader Ashok Singhal were present, as was Modi, then a volunteer in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. At the same time, Kovind recalls his time canvassing support during his presidential campaign, when he met leaders across the political spectrum.
On July 25, 2017, one of those students, Ram Nath Kovind, took charge as India’s second Dalit president, tracing a stunning arc – “of a village lad from the rural hinterlands of Uttar Pradesh to the Central Hall of Parliament to be sworn in as the First Citizen of India”. The 80-year-old throws his weight behind the “One Nation, One Election” plan, drawing on experiences through his career. Kovind describes Vajpayee’s speech on an inclusive society, tolerance and peaceful coexistence as a “powerful catalyst” in his decision to join the BJP. He recalls support from several opposition or regional parties, while noting that former Uttar Pradesh chief ministers Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati ultimately did not vote for him, “perhaps guided more by political interests”.
The former president details this broad journey in his memoir, Triumph of the Indian Republic: My Life, My Struggles, released on Wednesday by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi.
