New Delhi, Aug 23 (IANS) The NDA’s Vice-Presidential candidate C.P. Radhakrishnan met Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday, an interaction that comes amid the former’s push to garner support for himself ahead of the September 9 election.

HM Shah took to social media to share information about their interaction.

“Met NDA’s candidate for the Vice-Presidential election, Shri C.P. Radhakrishnan Ji. He is a seasoned leader with vast organisational and administrative experience. I am sure he will contribute immensely to India’s national discourse with his vast exposure,” wrote HM Shah on X.

The meeting came a day after HM Shah accused retired Supreme Court Judge B Sudershan Reddy, the INDIA bloc’s nominee for the upcoming Vice-Presidential election, of having supported Naxalism (Maoism) through his judicial pronouncements.

Speaking at a public event in Kochi, HM Shah referred to Justice Reddy’s 2011 Salwa Judum judgment, which had declared as “illegal” and “unconstitutional” the state-sponsored arming of young tribal men as special police officers in Chhattisgarh.

The ruling ordered that such militias be disbanded, stressing that the state must address the root causes of the insurgency through lawful governance rather than vigilante groups.

Revisiting that verdict, the Home Minister alleged the judgment indirectly strengthened Maoist extremists and curtailed the state’s ability to counter insurgency.

“Sudershan Reddy is the person who helped Naxalism. He gave the Salwa Judum judgment. If that judgment had not been given, Naxal terrorism would have ended by 2020,” the Home Minister said.

He further claimed the Congress, under pressure from its Left allies, had nominated a candidate “who supported Naxalism with a forum like the Supreme Court”.

Earlier, Radhakrishnan filed his nomination papers on August 20, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi accompanying him during the paper-filing process.

The nomination was filed in four sets, each carrying the signatures of 20 proposers and 20 seconders. PM Modi was the chief proposer as he signed and submitted the first set of nomination papers, while the remaining sets bore signatures of other Union ministers and NDA leaders.

In terms of numbers, NDA nominee Radhakrishnan enjoys a comfortable lead over the INDIA bloc candidate Sudarshan Reddy.

Currently, the Lok Sabha has 543 MPs, while the Rajya Sabha has 233 MPs out of a total strength of 245. The BJP has 240 MPs in the Lower House and 102 MPs in the Upper House, and with support from the allies, the total strength of NDA reaches 421 — 298 and 128 respectively in both Houses.

On the other hand, the INDIA bloc parties have 235 Lok Sabha MPs and 77 Rajya Sabha MPs. Their combined strength comes to a total of 312, and if AAP extends support with 11 MPs, the total tally will reach 325.

–IANS

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