Controversies surrounding presidential pick Meira Kumar may come back to haunt her

BJP led NDA outsmarted the Opposition by declaring Ram Nath Kovind as its presidential candidate. Stumped by the ruling party's move, Congress and 16 other parties announced the name of former Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar, thus, making it a Dalit versus Dalit contest.
Besides both being Dalits, there are some other common points between Ram Nath Kovind and Meira Kumar as well. One of them is the controversies involving both the presidential candidates.
Both Ram Nath Kovind and Meira Kumar have done law. While the former practised law, the latter did not. Kovind cleared the Civil Services Examinations but rejected the offer as he was selected in allied services. Meira Kumar was an Indian Foreign Services officer and worked in several capacities.
Both are also politicians. Meira Kumar also has a more illustrious political career than her rival. Kovind was a two term Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh, heading BJP's Scheduled Caste Morcha. He was also the party's national spokesperson.
Meira Kumar is a five term Lok Sabha MP having won from UP, Delhi and Bihar. She was also a Union Cabinet minister before becoming the Lok Sabha speaker.
However, Meira Kumar's political career has been far more controversial than that of Ram Nath Kovind. These controversies have come to haunt her.
MEIRA KUMAR
Bungalow allotment
The former Lok Sabha Speaker is embroiled in a serious controversy over allotment of bungalows in Lutyens' Delhi which may even land her in trouble at some stage. By allegedly using her influence when she was the speaker, Meira Kumar got a bungalow on 6, Krishna Menon Marg converted into Babu Jagjivan Ram National Foundation. She also got it allotted for 25 years till 2038.
Meira Kumar is the daughter of former deputy prime minister and freedom fighter late Babu Jagjivan Ram. She was the last official occupant till 2002 of 6, Krishna Menon Marg bungalow where Jagjivan Ram lived till he died in 1986.
At one point in time, she had two bungalows in her possession - one on 6, Krishna Menon Marg and the other on 20, Akbar Road. She had been allotted the latter bungalow by virtue of being the speaker.
However, the conversion of the Krishna Menon Marg bungalow into a memorial by the previous UPA government and its allotment in the name of Meira Kumar's family for the next 25 years went against a Cabinet note dated 2000 of the NDA government to prevent such manipulations.
According to an RTI response, the government had slapped a rent bill for Rs 1.98 crore on the Krishna Menon Marg bungalow. However, Meira Kumar is accused of getting that waived when she was the speaker.