MADURAI: The NDA’s vice-presidential candidate and one of the senior most popular leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) humility personified Mr.M.Venkaiah Naidu has thanked the Prime Minister Mr.Narendra Modi, BJP national president Amit Shah and the party for choosing him to a great Constitutional position in the country.
“I am an ordinary person…I come from a humble background, from agriculture family in Andhra Pradesh. I lost my mother at a very very young age. Later on in life, my party looked after me as mother… If today I have risen to this level, I must thank my party,” he said in a voice choked with emotion after filing his nomination for the post of India’s vice-president, in New Delhi on July 18th 2017 (Tuesday).
Mr.Venkaiah Naidu, whose winning in the vice-president poll is certain due to the NDA and supporting parties’ numbers in the electoral college, had filed his nomination in the presence of Mr.Modi, Mr.Amit Shah, Union Ministers Mr.Arun Jaitley and Mrs.Sushma Swaraj, party veterans Shri.L.K.Advani and Shri.Murli Manohar Joshi and several other leaders of BJP and NDA parties.
The election for Vice-President takes place on August 5th 2017.
MY WORTHY PREDECESSORS:
Addressing the media in the national capital after filing his nomination papers, Mr.Naidu spoke about the worthy predecessors who served as India’s vice-president.
“I am grateful to the PM Mr.Modi, BJP president and to various NDA partners. I also thank the parties that came forward to support my candidature, parties such as the AIADMK, YSR Congress Party, Indian National Lok Dal, TRS and others too,” he added.
Mr.Venkaiah Naidu said that it will be his endeavour to strengthen Parliamentary democracy and he recalled the great contributions made by Dr.Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Dr.Zakir Hussain, Justice Hidayatullah, Shri.Shankar Dayal Sharma, R.Venkatraman and Bhairon Singh Shekhawat.
“I am aware of the responsibility. I will uphold the dignity and decorum of the institution of Vice-President of India. Rajya Sabha is an important institution in our Parliamentary democracy….I assure the people that I will uphold the values,” the NDA vice-presidential nominee, has said.
PAINFUL TO LEAVE THE PARTY:
Thanking all associates and colleagues who worked with him for decades in the BJP, Mr.Venkaiah Naidu said in an emotional tone that it is painful to leave the party.
“My actual aim was to work for the party actively and see that Mr.Modi again becomes Prime Minister in 2019 Lok Sabha elections. But, destiny decided otherwise..Today, I withdraw from the party and already I have resigned as Union Minister,” he said and added that his duty after becoming the vice-president of the country is to follow the worthy predecessors who held that high position.
The candidate fielded by the opposite camp UPA for vice-president is Mr.Gopalkrishna Gandhi.
