Narayana Murthy clarifies his ‘presidential ambitions’

Reacting to a TV news report on Thursday that he would be ''honoured'' to become the President of India, Infosys chairman emeritus and information technology doyen Narayana Murthy was quick to say that he had no intention of throwing his hat in the ring.

Talking to a couple of newspapers, Murthy said his candidacy was mere speculation and ''anyway it was decided by others and not by me''.

When asked by the TV channel whether he would agree to accept the post if there was a broad political consensus on his candidacy, he replied, ''It will be a great honour. I will be very happy, absolutely, no doubt about it.''

Murthy told the press later on Thursday, ''I only responded to an insistent reporter when he asked if I would accept if all political parties agreed that I should be president. I said in that case, it will be a great honour. I cannot say no. I reminded him that it was all in the realm of speculation and that we still have nine months to go'' before a change in presidents.

Murthy retired as Infosys chairman on 20 August this year. Now a venture capitalist, he already plays a public role in many capacities, notably as chairman of the Public Health Foundation of India and as adviser to several state and foreign governments.

He has often said he is open to taking up positions to which he can ''add value''.

Recently, his comment about the poor quality of students at the Indian Institutes of Technology had triggered a controversy. Himself an IIT alumnus, he was speaking about the need for overhauling the admission process to the prestigious institutions.