B Sudershan Reddy, the Vice-President candidate for the opposition, expressed gratitude to those who are not in the INDIA bloc but are coming forward in his support, as he urged everyone to rise above their party lines and consider his candidacy on the basis of "merit and principle".
"You already know that the opposition has trusted me, and I have been chosen as a candidate. I am deeply grateful that not only the INDIA alliance but also people outside the alliance are coming forward to help. But without my friend Akhilesh Yadav, this would not have been possible," he said, addressing the media at the Samajwadi Party headquarters. SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav and Congress leaders were present at the press conference too.
Reddy also mentioned that he recently met AAP Leader Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin in Chennai. On Union Home Minister Amit Shah's charge that he supported Naxalism, Reddy said he did not want to expand the debate on it.
When asked about Shah's statement, he said, "They are making an attempt to build a narrative. Whatever response I have to give, I have given (the response)."
"You must have seen today's newspapers... I have said everything that is required to be said, I do not wish to expand the debate and say anything," he added.
"I will not talk about political issues as this (Vice President) is not a political office," he said.
Speaking in Kerala on Friday, Shah had said, "Sudershan Reddy is the person who helped Naxalism. He gave Salwa Judum judgment. If the Salwa Judum judgment had not been given, the Naxal terrorism would have ended by 2020. He is the person who was inspired by the ideology that gave Salwa Judam judgment." Reddy on Saturday said he did not wish to join issues with the home minister, asserting the verdict was not his but that of the Supreme Court.
He had also said that Shah would not have made the remarks had he read the complete judgment. Reddy along with Justice S S Nijjar was part of an apex court bench that had in July 2011 ordered the disbanding of Salwa Judum, ruling that using tribal youths as Special Police Officers in the fight against Maoist insurgents was illegal and unconstitutional.
The stage is set for a direct contest between ruling NDA nominee C P Radhakrishnan and joint opposition candidate Reddy for the September 9 vice-presidential election, in what is being described as a "south versus south" battle as both hail from south India. While Radhakrishnan is a BJP veteran from Tamil Nadu, Reddy is a former Supreme Court judge who hails from Telangana.
Follow us
