Congress sends 'impartiality' reminder to VP-elect CP Radhakrishnan

The Congress on Wednesday extended best wishes to vice presidentelect C P Radhakrishnan and recalled first vice president Sarvepalli Radhakrishnans words in the Rajya Sabha in 1952 that a democracy is likely to degenerate into a tyranny if it does not allow the opposition groups to criticise fairly freely and frankly the policies of the governmentThe opposition party asserted that Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan practised what he preached both in letter and spiritCongress general secretary incharge communications Jairam Ramesh said While extending its best wishes to Shri C P Radhakrishnan the newlyelected Vice President of India who will also be the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha the Indian National Congress recalls the wise words of Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan the very first Vice President and Chairman of the Rajya SabhaOn the opening day of the Rajya Sabha on May 16 1952 the very eminent philosophereducationistauthordiplomat had said I belong to no party and that means I belong to every party in this House It shall be my endeavour to uphold the traditions the highest traditions of parliamentary democracy and act towards each party with fairness and impartiality with illwill to none and goodwill to allA democracy is likely to degenerate into a tyranny if it does not allow the opposition groups to criticise fairly freely and frankly the policies of the Government Ramesh posted on XDr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan practised what he preached both in letter and spirit he addedNDA candidate C P Radhakrishnan was elected the next vice president of India as he bagged 452 votes against the opposition candidate B Sudershan Reddys 300 winning the contest with a bigger than expected marginAfter the results for the vice presidential polls were declared the Congress on Tuesday had said the BJPs arithmetical victory in the vice presidential election is both a moral and political defeat for the ruling party It had asserted that the Opposition stood united in the election with most respectable performanceCongress president Mallikarjun Kharge had extended best wishes to Radhakrishnan on securing victory in the election while also expressing sincere gratitude to Reddy for being the united Oppositions joint candidate and for his spirited and principled fightRamesh had asserted that the Opposition stood united for the vice presidential electionIts performance has undeniably been most respectable Its joint candidate Justice retd B Sudershan Reddy secured 4037 of the vote In 2022 the Opposition had received 26 per cent of the vote in the vice presidential elections Ramesh had said on TuesdayThe BJPs arithmetical victory is really both a moral and political defeat The ideological battle continues undiminished Ramesh had saidAnnouncing the result of the vice presidential election Rajya Sabha Secretary General and Returning Officer P C Mody had said 767 MPs out of 781 cast their votes with a total turnout of 982 per cent He said 752 ballots were valid and 15 were invalid bringing down the required majority of first preference votes to 377Following the result Reddy said he humbly accepts the defeat in the vice presidential polls and asserted that democracy is strengthened not by victory alone but by the spirit of dialogue dissent and participationIn a statement issued soon after NDAs Radhakrishnan was declared elected to the post of vice president Reddy said that though the result was not in his favour the larger cause we have collectively sought to advance remains undiminishedWith inputs from Agencies