Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin strongly condemned Union Home Minister Amit Shah for calling Justice P. Sudershan Reddy, the INDIA bloc’s Vice-Presidential candidate, a “naxal sympathiser.”
Stalin described the remark as “disgraceful” and a diversionary tactic to cover up the Centre’s failure to eliminate terrorism and extremist threats.
Speaking at a strategy meeting with INDIA bloc MPs from Tamil Nadu, Stalin said Justice Reddy had devoted nearly six decades to upholding constitutional principles and protecting rights. “Unable to eradicate terrorism, they are scapegoating a man who has spent his life serving justice,” he said.
The Chief Minister traced Justice Reddy’s distinguished career, noting his early work as an advocate for the Andhra Pradesh government in 1971, his role as a judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, and his eventual tenure on the Supreme Court bench. Stalin said his candidature for Vice-President was fitting at a time when “the Constitution itself is under threat.”
He also accused the BJP of misusing investigative agencies, undermining democratic institutions, and attempting to impose policies against the interests of Tamil Nadu. “They wear a Tamil mask but work against Tamil Nadu’s welfare,” Stalin alleged.
Meanwhile, 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.
The INDIA bloc has rallied around Justice Reddy, projecting him as a symbol of integrity and independence, while BJP leaders continue to defend Shah’s comments.