Opposition's V-P candidate, whom BJP accused of 'weakening' fight against Naxalism, was once termed 'yes man' by Congress

The Opposition has fielded former Supreme Court judge B Sudershan Reddy as its vice presidential candidate.

Retired Supreme Court judge B Sudershan Reddy was on Tuesday declared as the Opposition's joint nominee for the vice-presidential election scheduled for September 9. He is up against senior BJP leader and NDA candidate CP Radhakrishnan.

The Opposition declared Reddy as its candidate despite the BJP reaching out to senior Opposition leaders to rally support for the NDA candidate in a bid to choose the new Vice President through consensus.

Reacting to the Opposition's choice of candidate, BJP sources said the former Supreme Court judge is best remembered for "weakening India's fight against Naxalism" since he was part of a bench that had struck down Salwa Judum, a militia set up to combat Maoists in Chhattisgarh by then Chief Minister Raman Singh.

Ironically, much before his vice presidential nomination, Reddy came under fire from the Congress in 2013 when he was appointed as the first Lokayukta of Goa. The Congress had then alleged that Reddy had been "hand-picked" by the Chief Minister and labelled him as Manohar Parrikar's "yes man".

Ahead of his swearing-in on March 16 that year, a group of protesters, including workers of the Congress and the NCP, waved “black flags” at a public demonstration near the Raj Bhavan in Goa.

The appointment came a year after Parrikar's promise during the 2012 Assembly elections campaign to appoint a Lokayukta within 100 days of coming to power and assured that all the corruption cases linked to an alleged illegal mining scam would be referred to the ombudsman.

As the race for vice presidency gains momentum, the BJP sought to remind the Congress of its shift in stand regarding the retired Supreme Court whom it today hails as a distinguished and progressive jurist.

"He has had a long and eminent legal career, including as Judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court, and Judge of the Supreme Court. He has been a consistent and courageous champion of social, economic, and political justice. His judgments show how he stood for the poor, protected the Constitution, and upheld fundamental rights," Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said while announcing Reddy's candidature.

"The same Congress-led INDIA bloc which labelled him (Reddy) as Manohar Parrikar's 'yes man' has now fielded the very same person as their vice presidential candidate, hailing him as a 'champion of social and political justice'," a BJP source was quoted as saying.

The BJP has also appointed out how Congress had objected to former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi's nomination to the Rajya Sabha, saying it had disgraced the judiciary.

The Opposition's nomination of Reddy, the BJP sources said, has exposed the Congress' "hypocrisy" as it has fielded a former judge to contest elections to a constitutional post.