As the countdown begins for the high-stakes Vice Presidential election, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Syed Naseer Hussain tells TNIE that the Opposition votes are intact, and parties such as the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) have opted out of the election owing to political compulsions.
Hussain is also a polling agent for the Opposition’s nominee, Justice B. Sudershan Reddy, who is pitted against the NDA’s C.P. Radhakrishnan.
Excerpts:
The seven-member Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and four-member Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) have abstained from the Vice Presidential election. Do you think it’s a boost for the NDA candidate?
Opting out of voting is also a negative vote. These parties were supposed to vote against the NDA. In my view, they were forced to abstain from voting, considering the issues they are embroiled in.
The BRS is facing a CBI probe in the Kaleshwaram project, and similarly, there are several corruption cases against the BJD in Odisha. At least 32 members of the YSRCP have been arrested in Andhra Pradesh.
Why do you say that these parties were expected to vote against the NDA?
In the past, they have voted against the BJP in Parliament on several issues. In the Vice Presidential election, they were expected to vote against the NDA, and in fact, they had given some indications as well.
The numbers are not in favour of the Opposition. Do you expect any surprises? Do you expect any cross-voting from the other camp?
We are confident that all our allies are on board and the Opposition votes are intact. We did a mock voting on Monday. Our candidate has reached out to everyone. We are likely to get more votes. Let us see how many more we will get.
The NDA camp also claims that they will get votes from your members.
The BJP will go to any length to get people to cross-vote. They’ve already ensured that certain parties vote for them or abstain from voting. However, our votes will remain intact.
Though the result is a foregone conclusion, the Opposition has pitched it as an ideological battle.
It is not about victory. The Vice President is expected to be apolitical in their official capacity as Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. They are expected to act impartially and uphold constitutional values.
However, we have been witnessing the total subversion of the democratic process over the last few years. Opposition voices have been silenced, and the issues raised by the Opposition have not been accommodated for debate and discussion. The floor should belong to both the Opposition and the Treasury benches. There are contemporary issues that don’t become part of the bills the government brings. Those issues, which concern the people of the country, must be raised by the Opposition. We have been requesting that these issues be discussed within the rules of both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. However, they are not being accommodated.
So, we have chosen a non-partisan candidate who understands and respects the Constitution. We have done our part. Now it’s up to the MPs to take a call.