Having President, Vice-President from NDA is significant: PM Modi

Ahead of the Vice Presidential elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that the next five years are crucial for the country and it is significant that India should have a President and a Vice-President from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Prime Minister Modi also released two volumes of speeches and writings of Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu under the title, "Tireless Voice-Relentless Journey" during the event.

Prime Minister Modi further said that the present government at the Centre got a clear majority in Lok Sabha after thirty years and can contribute in substantial measure to nation building with 2022 as the target in this regard. This needs to be accompanied by effective functioning of Parliament which is the collective responsibility of the members.

Referring to the concern among the people about functioning of legislatures, Prime Minister Modi stressed that the need of the hour is to uphold the dignity of Parliament and its high traditions in which the members have a crucial role to play.

Prime Minister Modi also stated that the Rajya Sabha needs to reflect on how it could guide the 125 crore Indians inspired by the spirit of discussions in the Constituent Assembly about the Upper House. He said, "We are fortunate to have the benefit of leadership of Venkaiah Naidu in the House. By marking a vertical line against the name of Naidu in the ballot paper, we resolve to stand by him like a rock for the next five years."

Lauding his works and skills, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that, "Naidu is an energetic person with proficiency in Hindi, English and Telugu and with good communication skills. He has always been in the forefront of rebutting the criticism of the Government and Party"

Jaitley further asserted that, "Naidu has always propelled by a sense of ownership of any task given to him and did his best. He is the Janmadata of the 'Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana', when he was Rural Development Minister in Vajpayee's government".

Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah echoed the views of Jaitley saying, "Naidu rose from a humble beginning from a farmer's family to the post of Vice -President which has much to do with his commitment and hard-work. Him moving to a constitutional post is a big loss for the party".

Later, Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said, "Prime Minister Modi has chosen the best candidate for the office of Vive-President. He also stated that Naidu is like a bridge between ministers and Prime Minister Modi.

Also, Shiv Sena Leader Anandrao Adsul further said, "Prime Minister Modi who has chosen Naidu as vice-president candidate did the right thing.

Elections to the next vice president to be held tomorrow.

On 17th July, former Union Minister of information and broadcasting Venkaiah Naidu was picked up by NDA against opposition United Progressive Alliance's vice presidential candidate Gopal Krishna Gandhi, who is former Governor of West Bengal.

The Vice-President is elected by the members of the Electoral College consisting of the members of both Houses of Parliament in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote. The nominated Members of Rajya Sabha as well as of Lok Sabha are also eligible to be included in the Electoral College and, therefore, are entitled to participate in the election.