Rajnath, Nagenthran appeal to Stalin to support CP for V-P
A day after the NDA formally nominated Radhakrishnan, Rajnath, who has been tasked with overseeing the polls, reached out to Stalin over the phone and sought his support.
Rajnath Singh and Nainar Nagenthran
CHENNAI: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Tamil Nadu BJP president Nainar Nagenthran on Monday urged Chief Minister and DMK president MK Stalin to support the NDA's Vice-Presidential candidate CP Radhakrishnan in the September 9 election.
A day after the NDA formally nominated Radhakrishnan, Rajnath, who has been tasked with overseeing the polls, reached out to Stalin over the phone and sought his support. However, Stalin did not give any assurance, a senior BJP leader told DT Next.
Nagenthran, too, called upon the DMK leadership to seek support. "I have already stated that all the parties in the INDIA bloc, across political lines, should unanimously support the son of Tamil Nadu and the Governor of Maharashtra Radhakrishnan as the Vice-Presidential candidate. The NDA has nominated a Tamil leader with long political standing, which is an important recognition for Tamil Nadu," he said.
Recalling a precedent, Nagenthran noted, "In 2022, when Droupadi Murmu was nominated as the Presidential candidate, former Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik appealed to his legislators to support her irrespective of political differences. I believe such magnanimity will also be shown by the DMK and its leader, Chief Minister MK Stalin."
He further added, "I have made an appeal to CM Stalin. If necessary, I am prepared to meet him personally to seek support for our candidate."
Meanwhile, the Tamil Maanila Congress (Moopanar) on Monday urged all political parties in the state to extend support to Radhakrishnan.
TMC president GK Vasan issued a statement saying Radhakrishnan's nomination has been an honour for Tamil Nadu. "He is a son of the soil and a leader respected across political lines. He has served as BJP state president, Member of Parliament, chairman of the coir board, and Governor. His experience in these roles has been well established. On behalf of the Tamil Maanila Congress, I request all political parties in Tamil Nadu to support him so that he may bring recognition to the state."
