On the face of it, there was nothing wrong about Mr APJ Abdul Kalam indicating his willingness to join the presidential race provided there was "certainty" of sufficient support for his candidature. After all, during his presidency, Mr Kalam has emerged as a 'people's President', hugely popular among young Indians - unlike professional politicians who are caught in a time warp and pander to 'old' India, he has been able to connect with children, teenagers and young adults by speaking the language and articulating the aspirations of 'new India'. In any event, there is no constitutional provision that bars the incumbent President from seeking a second term. Moreover, Mr Kalam's expression of "willingness" followed the United National Proggressive Alliance's concerted effort to nominate him; it was not unilateral. It was in the fitness of things that Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat should have offered to opt out of the contest and the NDA agreed to support Mr Kalam, as has been noted in these columns earlier. But the reaction of the Congress and its allies has been appalling: Not only did they pour rebuke on Mr Kalam's possible candidature but also disparaged him through thinly disguised attack on the man but for whom perhaps Mr Manmohan Singh would not have come to occupy the Prime Minister's office. Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi's comments have been particularly obnoxious, reinforcing the popular perception that he is incapable of str
