South vs South: Oppn names ex-SC judge Reddy as V-P pick

Hindustan Times

a day ago

Former Supreme Court judge B Sudershan Reddy will be the Opposition's candidate for the vice-presidential election, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge announced on Tuesday, pitching the September 9 poll as a battle between those who uphold the Constitution and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), where National Democratic Alliance (NDA) nominee CP Radhakrishnan began his political life. INDIA bloc's Vice-Presidential candidate former Supreme Court judge B Sudershan Reddy with MPs of Opposition parties at Delhi airport.
Justice Reddy's nomination is also a calculated move to push lawmakers from K Chandrasekhara Rao's Bharat Rashtra Samithi, YS Jaganmohan Reddy's YSR Congress, and N Chandrababu Naidu's Telugu Desam Party to vote for a Telugu-speaking public figure. To be sure, the TDP and the YSRCP reiterated their support for Radhakrishnan although there was no comment from the BRS.
'All Opposition parties have decided to have a common candidate; the decision has been taken unanimously. I am happy that all opposition parties have agreed on one name. It is a big achievement for democracy, Whenever democracy and the Constitution are under attack, Opposition parties unite to fight against it. So we have decided to field a good candidate in this election,' Kharge said.
Justice Reddy's nomination means that the vice-presidential election will be a battle between two candidates from southern India, a first for the position. In the 781-member electoral college comprising both Houses of Parliament, the NDA holds the edge with 425 votes.
HT had reported on Monday that the Trinamool Congress was pushing for justice Reddy.
'It is the parliamentarians who elect the vice-president. Political parties may sponsor the candidates. There is only one citizenship in this country. Myself and CP Radhakrishnan ji are Indian nationals. Whether it is South, North, East, West, nothing matters…,' the former judge said.
The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi hailed justice Reddy's selection. '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,' he said.
After discussing a number of possible candidates in the Opposition meeting on Monday, the contest narrowed to the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's choice of former space scientist Mylswamy Annadurai and Trinamool Congress-backed justice B Sudershan Reddy on Tuesday. As a back-up, Mahatma Gandhi's great grandson Tushar Gandhi's name was also shortlisted. On Tuesday, DMK leaders indicated they won't 'push' for Annadurai if there is a larger consensus for Reddy.
When the Opposition leaders met again at Kharge's house on Tuesday morning, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh proposed the name of Reddy. Kharge spoke about Reddy's profile. No other names were discussed in the meeting.
Later, Congress general secretary Nasser Hussain told HT, 'In the background of the ideological battle taking place in the country, we need someone with clear thoughts, who can defend democracy and can uphold the spirit of the Constitution. We also thought a person belonging to none of the parties, someone non-partisan, and who can uphold all these values would be a good candidate in this election.'
An expert on the Constitution, Reddy was born in an agricultural family on July 8, 1946 in the Ranga Reddy district of Telangana (then part of the princely state of Hyderabad). Reddy graduated from Osmania University in Hyderabad in 1971. He was elevated as the additional judge of the Andhra Pradesh high court on May 2, 1995 and chief justice for Gauhati high court on December 5, 2005. On January 12, 2007, he was elevated to the Supreme Court of India; he retired on July 8, 2011.
Among his notable verdicts was one declaring Salwa Judum, a local militia propped up by the state government in Chhattisgarh to fight Maoists, as anti-constitutional. He was also part of a bench that pulled up the then United Progressive Alliance government for 'sleeping' on the issue of black money, and ordered a special investigation team in 2011.
After his retirement, he was appointed as the first Lokayukta of Goa in March 2013. Reddy was also the chairman of the expert group for the Telangana caste survey.
Reddy arrived in Delhi on Tuesday evening to an impromptu reception by Opposition leaders. The last date of filing nominations for the V-P election is August 21.
Reading out the joint statement, Kharge said, 'This vice-presidential contest is an ideological battle. The Opposition parties have nominated Shri B. Sudershan Reddy garu as their joint candidate since he fully reflects the values that shaped our country's freedom movement so profoundly and the values on which our country's Constitution and democracy have been anchored. All these values are under assault and therefore, our collective and determined resolve to fight this election.'
DMK leader K Kanimozhi tweeted, 'Safeguarding democracy is about fighting all battles, big and small, on behalf of the people of India. INDIA stands united in this fight.'
Communist Party of India lawmaker P Sandosh called the poll a fight between an RSS pracharak and the Constitution. 'This may create certain political changes in Andhra Pradesh,' he said. Samajwadi Party MP Dharmendra Yadav said, 'Justice Reddy has had an outstanding reputation in the legal field... I believe our entire alliance has made an excellent decision...' Jharkhand Mukti Morcha MP Mahua Maji said, 'This will be a close contest.'
Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh announced that his party will support justice Reddy.
Bharatiya Janata Party's Amit Malviya said justice Reddy is remembered for a judgment that weakened India's fight against Naxalism, referring to the banning of the Salwa Judum. 'The judgment was seen not just as a blow to a state government's counter-insurgency strategy, but as an instance of judicial sympathy for those aligned with the Maoist cause.'