‘It is not Radhakrishnan Vs Reddy': INDIA bloc's candidate Sudershan Reddy on Vice President election
Sudershan Reddy told ANI, "I am happy about my nomination. If it was an unpleasant one, why would I undertake this journey and proceed further?"
Further, he said that the Vice Presidential elections are not a 'Radhakrishnan versus Reddy' contest and there is scope for party whips in the polls.
"It is not Radhakrishnan versus Reddy. I don't think even Radhakrishnan treats it as 'Reddy versus Radhakrishnan'. At present, there are two candidates. We do not know there may be a third candidate tomorrow. Since it is not a general election, in that sense, the Vice President of India is to be elected by the members of the parliament. Therefore, there is no question of any whip by political parties asking that you vote for this man, or you don't vote for that man. It is the wisdom and their individual assessment about the relative merits and demerits of the candidates," he said.
Addressing Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge's "ideological fight" remarks, he said that the INDIA bloc and the NDA represent two different ideologies.
He said, "What's wrong with this? If not NDA, the dominant political party in India represents a particular ideology. There is nothing new. It is not hidden. Kharge believes in an entirely different ideology, therefore he made that statement. What is wrong with that statement?"
Earlier on Tuesday, Mallikarjun Kharge announced Reddy as the INDIA bloc's candidate for the VP elections. Kharge, in an X post, said, 'This Vice Presidential contest is an ideological battle. All Opposition parties have nominated Shri B. Sudershan Reddy garu as their joint candidate for the position of the Vice President of India.'
Rahul Gandhi also said that the Opposition is united in this "ideological battle".
"I warmly congratulate B Sudershan Reddy Garu on being nominated as the joint opposition candidate for the Vice President of India. A distinguished jurist and champion of justice, he represents the spirit of our Constitution - safeguarding people's rights, equality and our Democracy. We stand united in this ideological battle and wish him all the very best," Gandhi posted on X.
Meanwhile, Kharge said Reddy would file his nomination on August 21.
Justice B Sudershan Reddy, who served as Chief Justice of the Guwahati High Court before being elevated to the Supreme Court in 2007, retired in July 2011. He will contest against the NDA nominee CP Radhakrishnan.
The Vice-Presidential election is scheduled for September 9, with counting on the same day.
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