While AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami urged all Tamil Nadu MPs to vote for Radhakrishnan, the Tamil Nadu BJP said if the DMK did not support its former state unit president, it would not be “at all forgivable”. The DMK leader, however, made it clear that his party would not support Radhakrishnan’s candidature.
BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajn said the DMK committed a “historic mistake” more than two decades ago by not supporting NDA-backed APJ Abdul Kalam’s candidature for the post of president. Now, another opportunity is coming to the Dravidian party, and they should now support a Tamilian, Radhakrishnan, for the post of vice president, she urged.
Rejecting DMK’s allegation of discrimination against Tamil Nadu by the BJP-led Center on issues such as Keeladi’s findings, the senior BJP leader listed a series of initiatives of the Union government for Tamil Nadu, including railway infrastructure. “If the DMK does not support Radhakrishnan, it is not forgivable at all,” she said.
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Elangovan made it clear that Radhakrishnan is a BJP man and his appointment by the saffron party to the second highest constitutional post is an elevation for him, and asserted that “it will not do any good” in Tamil Nadu.
Elangovan, a former Rajya Sabha MP, questioned why the DMK should support Radhakrishnan’s candidature and said his party would abide by the decision of the INDIA bloc, of which his party is a major partner.
AIADMK general secretary Palaniswami, welcoming Radhakrishnan’s candidature, said all MPs from Tamil Nadu should support his candidature. Radhakrishnan belongs to Tamil Nadu, and the appointment of a Tamilian to high office is an opportunity for the state, and therefore all MLAs, putting aside party-based divisions, should come forward and extend their support to him, Palaniswami told reporters in Tiruvannamalai.
In Madurai, former chief minister O Panneerselvam described Radhakrishnan as an affable leader and said, “As per my conscience, I welcome Radhakrishnan’s appointment to the highest post of vice-president.”
Vaiko, general secretary of the MDMK, an ally of the DMK, said he conveyed his party’s “happy wishes” to Radhakrishnan, cutting across “party lines” as the Maharashtra governor is “a Tamilian and a cultured man who respects everyone, irrespective of political parties”. Nadu, the BJP chief, was a leader who understood the nuances of politics. “He is a talented person, capable of carrying out the task assigned to him,” he said.
Elangovan, criticizing what he called the BJP’s intention to field Radhakrishnan, claimed that the appointment of the Maharashtra governor comes in the backdrop of the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, due by March-April 2026.
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Elangovan claimed, “The BJP did not nominate Radhakrishnan for the sake of the people of Tamil Nadu, but it was eyeing its own gains in the elections since the Assembly polls are around the corner, due by March-April 2026. They want to deceive the people of TN by appealing to people claiming that we have made a Tamilian the vice president.” He also alleged that the BJP regime at the Center was insulting Tamil Nadu in every way. “What have they done for the state of Tamil Nadu and its culture? » he asked.
“What happened to the Keeladi finds and why was ASI archaeologist Amarnath Ramakrishnan transferred when he declared Keeladi to be “India’s oldest civilization?” Why don’t they want to accept Tamil civilization as the oldest civilization? Isn’t this an insult to Tamils?,” Elangovan questioned.
Further, he alleged, “They claim that they have done something very big in Tamil Nadu; tell them to recognize Keeladi’s findings first, will they?
The BJP leadership has nominated a Tamil to claim that it has done good for Tamils, Elangovan told PTI Videos. “Besides, the tenure (of the new vice president) will last only about 2 years, which is the remainder of Jagdeep Dhankar’s tenure,” he said.
Under official rules, the vice president, once elected, would have a full term. According to Article 67 of the Constitution, the term of office of the vice president would be for five years from the date he assumes office.
Reiterating allegations that the Center is not providing funds to the state for education, he claimed that Tamil Nadu was being marginalized and the state had not been accepted by the BJP. Whenever BJP leaders visit the state, they praise Tamil Nadu, and every Tamilian knows that the BJP government is insulting them and they do not want to do good to the people of Tamil Nadu. He said, “They don’t want development of Tamil Nadu.”
