INDIA bloc V-P candidate Sudershan Reddy to visit Chennai, Lucknow

Justice B Sudershan Reddy, the INDIA bloc’s vice-presidential candidate, will land in Chennai on Sunday (August 24) as part of the campaign for the September 9 election. He will be accompanied by Congress MPs Dr Mallu Ravi and Dr Syed Naseer Hussain.

The delegation led by Reddy will meet Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and MPs from the ruling DMK and its allies to seek support for the upcoming election.

The next stop for the INDIA bloc candidate will be Lucknow, where he will travel with senior Congress leaders on Monday (August 25) to seek political support in the crucial state. The series of visits marks an important step in building consensus and strengthening the Opposition bloc's unity ahead of the election.

Also read: INDIA bloc's Justice B Sudershan Reddy files nomination for V-P poll

Reddy, a former judge of the Supreme Court, will face NDA's CP Radhakrishnan for the second-highest constitutional post, which fell vacant following the sudden resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar in July.

India faces democracy deficit: Reddy

Meanwhile, Reddy on Saturday (August 23) said India was witnessing a “deficit in democracy” and its Constitution was “under challenge”, as he pledged to defend and protect it.

In an exclusive interview with PTI, the INDIA bloc candidate touched upon various issues, from his candidature to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s recent allegation that he helped Naxalism by giving a negative verdict on Salwa Judum.

While conceding that disruptions in Parliament are vital in a democracy, Reddy warned that they should not evolve into a fundamental aspect of the democratic process.

Also read: Sudershan Reddy as VP candidate: Why it is a clash of political narratives

He said while there was talk of a deficit economy earlier, there is a “deficit in democracy” now. According to him, while India continues to be a constitutional democracy, it has found itself “under strain”.

The former judge said his “journey of upholding the Constitution continues, ultimately culminating in, if given an opportunity, to protect and defend the Constitution”.

Calling his unanimous candidature a matter of honour, Reddy said, “First, it represents diversity. Secondly, the unanimous choice. Thirdly, in terms of voting strength, if you make an analysis, they represent more than 63-64 per cent of the population. What else could be an honour?”

V-P contest between two ideologies

The Opposition candidate said the upcoming vice-presidential election is not a contest between him and Radhakrishnan but between “two different ideologies”. Calling his opponent a “quintessential RSS man”, Reddy said he is “far, far, far, far away” from that ideology and described himself as a “liberal constitutional democrat”.

Also read: B Sudershan Reddy: A judge who always kept politics out of judiciary

On Shah’s accusation over the Salwa Judum, which a Supreme Court bench led by Reddy called unconstitutional in 2011, the latter refused to confront the minister but said that had Shah read the judgment, he would not have made the remark.

(With agency inputs)