Tirunelveli (Tamil Nadu) [India], August 22 : Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said the nomination of Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan as the NDA's candidate for Vice President is a matter of pride for Tamil Nadu and reflects Prime Minister Narendra Modi's commitment to honour Tamil culture, language, and leadership.
Speaking at the booth committee members' convention in Tirunelveli, Shah expressed regret for not being able to address the gathering in Tamil and thanked PM Modi and BJP president JP Nadda for their support to Radhakrishnan.
"I have come to tell the people of the state that after assuming the post of Vice President, Tamil Nadu's son CP Radhakrishnan is going to become the Chairman of Rajya Sabha. Earlier, the NDA had also given this honour to APJ Abdul Kalam ji by making him the President of India. Narendra Modi ji has always worked to glorify Tamil Nadu, Tamil language and Tamil culture," Shah said while addressing the gathering.
On Wednesday, CP Radhakrishnan filed his nomination papers for the Vice Presidential elections in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Chandrapuram Ponnusamy Radhakrishnan, who has been the Maharashtra Governor since July 31, 2024, had earlier also served as the Governor of Jharkhand, Telangana and Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry.
Radhakrishnan, who served as the two-time MP from Coimbatore, was born on October 20, 1957, in Tamil Nadu's Tirrupur. The BJP stalwart from Tamil Nadu has achieved a bachelor's degree in Business Administration and became the state committee member of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the BJP's precursor, in 1974.
Before the Jan Sangh, he joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).In the year 1996, Radhakrishnan was appointed as the BJP Tamil Nadu secretary, following which he was elected as a Lok Sabha member from Coimbatore in 1998 and reelected again in 1999.
Furthermore, while intensifying his attack on the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Amit Shah strongly defended the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirtieth Amendment) Bill, 2025, which mandates the resignation of any Chief Minister or Prime Minister who is sent to jail.
Shah said, "PM Modi ji has presented the 130th Constitutional Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha. The entire opposition started protesting. What is the Constitution Bill? If any CM or Prime Minister goes to jail, they will have to resign from their post. The opposition is asking, What is the need for this bill? Senior DMK ministers K Ponmudy and Senthil Balaji were in jail for eight months. They did not resign. Tell me, can you run the government while being in jail? These DMK people call the 130th Constitutional Amendment Bill a black bill. Stalin Babu, you have no right to call this bill a black bill because you are a Chief Minister who does black deeds."
On Thursday, the Rajya Sabha agreed to refer three key legislations, the 130th Constitutional Amendment Bill, the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and the Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2025, to a Joint Committee comprising 21 members from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha, nominated by the Speaker and Deputy Chairman respectively.
The Union Home Minister also invoked national security, recalling the terrorist attack in Pahalgam and the Centre's response under Prime Minister Modi's leadership.
"Pakistani terrorists killed our innocent citizens in Pahalgam. Modi ji had promised that we will teach a lesson to the terrorists and their masters and by permitting Operation Sindoor, we destroyed their terrorist bases," he said.