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Gopalkrishna Gandhi for vice-president is at least a great choice by Opposition

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Javed M Ansari
Javed M AnsariJul 11, 2017 | 17:09

Gopalkrishna Gandhi for vice-president is at least a great choice by Opposition

In Indian politics there isn't a bigger brand name than that of Mahatma Gandhi. In choosing his grandson, the former West Bengal governor, Gopalkrishna Gandhi as its vice-presidential candidate, the opposition has managed to come up with a name that very few can object to.

Even if he proves unlikely to win, given the way the numbers are stacked heavily in favour of the government, the surname carries a moral and political heft that gives the opposition an edge.

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Gopalkrishna Gandhi was amongst the opposition's shortlisted candidates for presidential poll, but lost out narrowly to former Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar, once the opposition decided it had to field a Dalit candidate to deny the BJP a chance to use Ram Nath Kovind's candidature to make inroads amongst the Dalits.

In addition to his surname, Gopalkrishna Gandhi has a distinguished track record. He has years of administrative experience having joined the IAS in 1968, he was the country's high commissioner to Sri Lanka and South Africa, and has done stints in both the president and the vice-president's secretariat, besides being the governor of West Bengal from 2004 to 2009.

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He currently teaches history and politics at the Ashoka University. Unlike in the case of the presidential elections, the opposition appears to have decided to go ahead and announce its candidate thereby putting the onus on the government to come up with a suitable candidate to match Gopalkrishna Gandhi's stature.

Unlike the presidential elections, only MPs of both Houses of Parliament can vote to elect the vice-president. Given the fact that the BJP enjoyed a big majority in the Lok Sabha, Gopalkrishna Gandhi's candidature is unlikely to affect the outcome of the elections on August 5.

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It will, however, give the opposition something to shout about. In choosing Gopalkrishna Gandhi, the opposition parties have managed to keep their unity intact. Initially, Nitish Kumar had suggested his (Gandhi's) name as the opposition's candidate for the presidential election.

Now, even the JD(U) attended the 18 party opposition meet this afternoon (July 11) to choose the vice-presidential candidate. There was some heartburn within a section of the Opposition over the manner in which the Congress had chosen one of their own, Meira Kumar, as the presidential candidate. However, this time around, the Congress — mindful of the sensitivities of the other parties — worked to evolve a consensus over the name of Gopalkrishna Gandhi.

The erudite, bespectacled Gopalkrishna Gandhi has a mind of his own and has chosen to speak out against those in power, including his political friends.

At the height of the farmers' agitation in Nandigram in 2007, he criticised the Left front government for the "spiralling violence". He was also critical of the UPA because of the manner in which it was using the CBI as its "hatchet".

Unlike his cousin, Rajmohan Gandhi, he has never contested an election, and barring a miracle, his debut will in all likelihood be on the losing side.

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Be that as it may, his candidature is not something many will argue against.

Last updated: July 12, 2017 | 12:54
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