There is nothing so unseemly as an ex-president almost politicking to have another shot at the job. I am not suggesting this because Mr Kalam was in the run in 2012 (as he was in 2007, after completing his first term). It is also because several ex-presidents, including the great S Radhakrishnan, had indicated their desire for a second term and had been denied it.
In a country where the president, once he assumes office, should be totally non-partisan, I believe it is not right for the president to once again enter the electoral fray on the back of a political party.
Perhaps it is time we debated whether we need a Constitutional amendment to bar the president from seeking a second term.
Dorab R Sopariwala, New Delhi
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