President Ram Nath Kovind took oath as the 14th President of India on 25th Jul 2017. President Kovind became the first BJP leader to hold the office. Many things changed with his ascension to the throne of President of India. Foremost of them was the culture of minority appeasement. Misuse of taxpayers’ money to organise lavish parties and singing of carols on Christmas were forbidden by President Kovind in 2017. In recent times, there had been just one instance when Christmas was not celebrated in the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The then President Pratibha Patil had cancelled the traditional Christmas celebration as a symbol of respect to the victims of the Mumbai terror attacks on November 26 in 2008. The historic Rashtrapati Bhavan in the past has witnessed many celebrations held for minority religions. It seemed like a tradition which nobody could challenge. President Kalam had discontinued the tradition of holding Iftar parties but it was restarted by his successor post the end of his tenure.
President Kovind has taken a bold step back in 2017 when he discontinued the celebration of Christmas in the Rashtrapati Bhavan. These traditions are nothing but a pathetic attempt by the past Congress leaders for the appeasement of Muslim and Christian communities in India. The whole facade was planned in order to send the message of secularism while the Congress did nothing for the upliftment of minorities at the ground level. These grand parties were a treat for the Congress VIPs who found one more reason to make good use of taxpayers’ money to have a good time under the pretext of secularism. Former President APJ Abdul Kalam realised this and hence he directed the funds for Iftar parties to be given to orphanages throughout his term as the President from 2002-2007. Keeping in line with former President Kalam’s approach towards the hosting of religiously motivated parties, President Kovind has taken a praiseworthy decision in this regard. According to Ashok Malik, Press Secretary to President Kovind, “Rashtrapati Bhavan is the embodiment of a secular state. Matters of religion and governance have to be kept separate. On tax payers’ expense, the building does not host any religious function irrespective of the religion involved.”
The majestic monument has witnessed many functions and gatherings in the garb of pseudo-secularism in the past, all thanks to Congress and its appeasement politics. Secularism by definition means a strict separation of religion and state and not just a separation of state with the majority religion. Rashtrapati Bhavan has not held any major celebrations for Hindu festivals in the past and nobody in India has demanded them to take place in the premises as of yet, neither BJP nor the RSS. President Kovind’s commendable decision towards complete secularisation of an important institution should be praised as it is taking place in India where majority of the parties and their leaders engage in selective secularism to garner popularity. President Kovind, through his decision of not organizing Iftar party, has showed that the secular fabric and the iconic Rashtrapati Bhavan of India will not selectively accept customs which are tailor made to suit the needs of political parties. This is a great leap forward from the age old customs which thrived under the Congress rule, a step ahead towards saving taxpayers money and a praiseworthy approach towards achieving true equality in India by our very own President Kovind.