NEW DELHI, July 18: Announcing that he was no more a BJP member, NDA Vice-Presidential candidate M Venkaiah Naidu today said he would do his best to uphold the Constitution and do justice to the high post if elected.
”Now I am above party. I do not belong to the BJP any more. From today, my role will be different,” Mr Naidu said addressing media after filing his nomination papers for the August 5 election in Parliament premises here.
The veteran leader said his own wish was to work for the party and see the party return to power under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and then quit politics and join social service, but ”destiny willed otherwise”.
”I am an ordinary person, risen from a humble agricultural background because of the people’s support and of the party,” he said.
Mr Naidu said he had already tendered resignation as Information and Broadcasting Minister yesterday, and today resigned from the BJP, would continue as MP till the voting takes place, which is on August 5.
He said he was deeply honoured to be nominated for the Vice-President’s post and expressed his gratitude to the Prime Minister and party chief Amit Shah.
Mr Naidu, who was declared as NDA’s pick for the second highest Constitutional post of the country after BJP Parliamentary Board’s meeting last evening, said engaging and interacting with people through the length and breadth of the country has been his passion, but the post he was moving to, had a different profile, and functioned under different norms.
”Vice-President’s office is of different profile. It functions under different norms,” he said and pointed out that this post had been graced by illustrious people like Dr S Radhakrishnan, Dr Zakir Hussain, Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma and Bhairon Singh Shekhawat.
”I will uphold the traditions and high standards set up by these worthy predecessors,” he said.
Mr Naidu said he lost his mother when he was a toddler, but he had treated his party like a mother and ”they brought me up.” (UNI)
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