By IANS
Jaipur : Pratibha Patil, the consensus candidate of the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and its Left allies for India's next president, said Thursday it was "a proud moment" and that she had got a hint of her candidature only in the afternoon.
Dressed in a cream sari with an orange-gold border and her head covered as always, the soft-spoken Rajasthan governor said: "It is a proud moment. I had never thought of it. I thank Sonia Gandhi (Congress president) and other leaders of UPA for giving me this opportunity."
Speaking to newspersons in Raj Bhavan, she said: "In the afternoon I was told that my name was being considered."
Patil said that it was a "big moment" for women. "It will send a good message not only in the country but outside too on how women are being treated in India."
When asked about the other likely candidate Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, she said: "I respect him very much."
On her priorities if she becomes president, Patil said that India suffers from many problems. "Though we are progressing well economically, but economic disparities are there, and I will try to solve it."
She said that a lot had to be done for below the poverty line (BPL) people.
"The employment guarantee scheme is a great one in this direction and it should be extended to the entire country." A lot of development is required in villages and work has to be done for rural development, Patil added.