New Delhi: The presidential election is being fought on ideology and not caste, the opposition’s presidential candidate and former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar has said.The senior Congress leader said the focus on the caste of the candidates in the run-up to the contest reflected the state of the society.“I am happy that caste is being talked about – it shows the reality of our society, what society thinks. Before this, whenever there has been an election for the highest office of the land, when candidates of so-called higher castes were contesting – people never spoke about their castes,” Kumar said on Tuesday, a day before she is to file her nomination papers as the candidate of 17 opposition parties.“There was always a discussion on their qualifications and calibre. But when two Dalits are contesting, why are we talking about their caste?” she said at a press conference at the Constitution Club in Delhi. Kumar said she had a firm ideological position and believed in democratic values, inclusiveness, social justice , freedom of press and destruction of the caste system.This is what I stand for. This would be my ideological plank. This election is being fought on ideology and not on caste,” she said.After filing her nomination papers in the presence of senior opposition leaders at about 11 am on Wednesday, she plans to start her campaign from Sabarmati Ashram.Brushing aside charges of having been a biased Speaker and non-payment of government dues by a foundation in the name of her father Babu Jagjivan Ram, she said such “baseless allegations” were being levelled to malign her.Kumar said she has appealed to all MPs to follow their conscience. “It is a very rare occasion when history is being scripted. I will appeal to all MPs to listen to the voice of their conscience and vote for our ideology,” she said.