New Delhi: Yashwant Sinha, the joint Opposition presidential candidate in the upcoming election, has been accorded a Z category cover of armed CRPF commandos, officials told PTI. This comes after the Union home ministry directed the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) VIP security wing to ensure the protection of the 84-year-old leader. Former Union Minister Sinha will file his nomination for the presidential election 2022 on June 27. He is also scheduled to visit Bihar and Jharkhand for two days from Friday (June 24) onwards. 


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The MHA had earlier extended a higher Z-plus cover of CRPF commandos to the NDA presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu, a tribal leader from Odisha. Murmu is slated to file her nomination for the presidential race today at the Parliament in the presence of several top BJP leaders. 


Meanwhile, Sinha on Thursday said he has done "much more" than his NDA rival Murmu for Scheduled Tribes and other disadvantaged communities. “It is not a question of identity; who Murmu or Sinha is. It is the question of what ideology she represents in our polity and what ideology I represent," PTI quoted him as saying. Further, he said the BJP is depending on identity politics while the opposition is putting out an ideological message.


Sinha also questioned the work done by Murmu for the tribal community during her tenure as the Jharkhand Governor. "She does belong to the tribal community. But what is it that she has done? She was a Jharkhand governor. What steps did she take to improve the lot of tribals? Being born into a certain community does not automatically make you the champion of that community,” the opposition’s presidential candidate said. 


The presidential election 2022 will be held on July 18 to elect incumbent Ram Nath Kovind's successor, whose term will end on July 21.


(With agency inputs)