Sudershan guardian candidate to save democracy: DMK chief

CHENNAI: Dismissing the appeals made by the BJP-led NDA, which sought to play the ‘Tamil’ card in the September 9 Vice-Presidential election, Chief Minister MK Stalin endorsed the INDIA bloc’s V-P candidate Sudershan Reddy and said that it was their responsibility to support the Constitution-believing candidate to safeguard democracy and the Constitution.

Wholeheartedly congratulating former Supreme Court judge Sudershan Reddy on being chosen as the Vice-Presidential candidate of the INDIA bloc, Stalin said, “At a time when our institutions are under strain, his candidature strengthens our collective resolve to safeguard democracy and protect the spirit of the Constitution.”

Justifying his support to Reddy, Stalin, in a lengthy message posted on his ‘X’ handle, said, “All the independent institutions that were meant to safeguard democracy have been turned into subsidiary bodies of the ruling party in the Centre, and the very Constitution itself is in danger. In such a situation, the responsibility before us is to support only one who believes in India’s fundamental ideals of secularism, federalism, social justice, and unity in diversity.”

Reiterating that the Union BJP government has been continuously inflicting injustice on Tamil Nadu by refusing to accept the State’s rightful demands such as exemption from NEET, recognition of Keezhadi’s antiquity, fairness in fund devolution, not halting education funds, Stalin said, “Through Governors, it has been running a parallel government and blocking the functioning of state governments, while also engaging in efforts to weaken institutions of higher education.”

Recalling DMK’s consistent and vociferous voice in Parliament against the unconstitutional denial of State rights, the centralisation of power in the Union, the rising tide of hate propaganda, and the relentless imposition of Hindi and Sanskrit, Stalin said that the BJP has been digging a grave for the Constitution and attempting to bury it.

Stating that the secular-spirited people of Tamil Nadu have, in successive elections, overwhelmingly voted for the MPs and MLAs of the DMK alliance to defend the rights of the State and safeguard the Constitution, Stalin reasoned that the decision to support Sudershan stands as both a reaffirmation of the people’s faith and a mark of respect for their mandate and sentiment.

Qualifying Reddy as a “jurist of integrity, independence, and a champion of civil liberties and social justice,” who upheld Constitutional values throughout his career, the DMK president said, “As someone who can create space for constructive debates in Parliament, conduct the House giving rightful place to the voice of the opposition, and as a democrat who has faith in the Constitution.”