INDIA bloc V-P candidate Sudershan meets CM Stalin, hails him as champion of federalism

CHENNAI: INDIA bloc’s Vice-Presidential candidate and former Supreme Court judge Sudershan Reddy on Sunday invoked the Dravidian legacy while underscoring his commitment to defend the Constitution.

Addressing a gathering in the presence of Chief Minister MK Stalin and leaders of the INDIA bloc, Reddy said Tamil Nadu had long stood as a pioneer in social justice, health, and education, and as a torchbearer of federalism. Justice Reddy was in Chennai on Sunday to seek support from DMK and its allies in the state.

“I have lived with the Constitution for over five decades. If given an opportunity, I solemnly promise I will not let down this instrument,” he said, adding that the “idea of federalism and the Constitution itself” were under strain. He cautioned that attempts to restructure GST allocations could “reduce states to the level of municipalities,” undermining the spirit of the Union.

Reddy praised Stalin as a “champion of federalism,” recalling DMK’s long-standing demand before the Sarkaria Commission for abolition of the post of Governor, which, he said, anticipated the present crisis between elected State governments and the Centre.

Rejecting suggestions that his candidature was political, he argued that the Constitution was “inherently a political document” and that participating in democracy could not be divorced from politics. “I may not belong to any political party, but to say I have nothing to do with politics would mean I have nothing to do with democracy,” he said.

Later, speaking to the press, Reddy explained why the Opposition had chosen him. “Perhaps it is precisely because I don’t belong to any political party that they thought I was an appropriate candidate,” he said. Stressing that the V-P office was “a high Constitutional position, not a political one,” he said.

Asked about the ruling BJP’s criticisms and Home Minister Amit Shah’s remarks, Reddy declined to be drawn into controversy. “Somebody says something for the sake of saying. I don’t keep responding to irrelevant remarks,” he said. Yet, what seemed as an indirect response, he described himself as a “liberal Constitutional democrat.”