PM Modi appeals for unanimous election of Radhakrishnan as vice president

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday appealed to all parties, including the Opposition, for unanimous election of NDA's vice presidential candidate C P Radhakrishnan, as he praised his life of public service at a meeting of the ruling alliance MPs.

Radhakrishnan was felicitated at the meeting of MPs here by their top brass, including Prime Minister Modi and several BJP allies.

Radhakrishnan is likely to file his nomination on Wednesday.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju told reporters that Modi, in his address, appealed to various parties, especially the Opposition, to back Radhakrishnan to ensure that he is elected unanimously.

Modi introduced the Maharashtra governor, who is a seasoned BJP leader from Tamil Nadu, to the NDA MPs, citing his long public life in which he served ably in different capacities.

In his speech, Modi also raised the issue of Indus Waters Treaty and slammed the then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru for signing the agreement with Pakistan without taking Parliament or his Cabinet into confidence.

Nehru did to burnish his own image at the cost of the interest of the country, he said, according to sources.

Over 80 per cent of the waters was allowed to be used by Pakistan, he noted.

The Modi government has put the treaty in abeyance following the Pahalgam terror attack.

The prime minister said his government has been undoing the sins of that era, the sources added.

Nehru later told a colleague that he had believed that the agreement will help resolve other issues with Pakistan but it did not happen, he noted, Modi also spoke of the S&P Global Ratings recent decision to upgrade India's long-term sovereign credit rating, saying it highlights the country's sound economy and will draw more investment.

Rijiju said Radhakrishnan (67) has led a simple life away from any controversy or taint, stressing that his election as vice president will be a matter of delight for the entire country.

With the BJP-led NDA enjoying a comfortable majority in the electoral college comprising MPs from the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, Radhakrishnan's win is a certainty amid indications from the opposition INDIA bloc that it will field its own candidate and force a contest.