Key Points

Briefing the press about the NDA parliamentary party meet, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said the floor leaders and the NDA MPs warmly welcomed CP Radhakrishnan and also thanked the Prime Minister for picking him for the position.

He said that PM Modi introduced C.P. Radhakrishnan to the lawmakers at the NDA meet and appealed to everyone to come together and unanimously vote for the candidate and elect him as the next Vice President.

Heaping praise on Radhakrishnan, Rijiju said that his entire political journey remains devoid of any controversy, any stain or any corruption charge. He said that the NDA V-P nominee lived a simple yet accomplished life, working tirelessly for society and the country and hence was the right person suited for the chair.

“If he is elected as the next Vice President, it will be a matter of great joy for the country. With his decades of experience and all-encompassing approach, he will be efficient and instrumental in conducting the House proceedings,” he said.

Rijiju also informed that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is holding talks across the political spectrum to seek consensus on his election and is also urging the Opposition to elect him unanimously.

The BJP has already started reaching out to Opposition parties, particularly those in Southern states, to gather support for the NDA’s V-P pick. It has activated its Tamil Nadu unit to rally support for his candidature, given his Tamilian roots and also his successful stint as the state unit chief. Tamil Nadu BJP has urged the DMK and other parties of the INDIA bloc to extend support to his candidature.

Meanwhile, Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) president Dr Anbumani Ramadoss has extended support to NDA’s V-P nominee, C.P. Radhakrishnan, describing him as the “right choice” for the country’s second-highest constitutional office.

Radhakrishnan, who hails from Tamil Nadu’s Kongu region, has served two terms as a Lok Sabha MP from Coimbatore and is currently serving as the Governor of Maharashtra.

- IANS