Gopalkrishna Gandhi's sister lauds Opposition's decision to pick as vice-president nominee

Hyderabad: Mahatma Gandhi’s granddaughter Tara Gandhi Bhattacharjee on Wednesday said the collective decision of 18 opposition parties to field her brother Gopalkrishna Gandhi for the post of vice-president was “wise and right”.

“It is a very wise decision. Not because he (Gopalkrishna Gandhi) is my brother, but he has shown excellence in every area he has worked…all kinds of roles he has assumed. He has been a bureaucrat, ambassador to so many countries and a governor,” she told PTI.

Bhattacharjee said the commitment to excellence and perfection was in Gandhi’s nature.

She congratulated the 18 political parties for their “wisdom” in picking the “right person”.

“I am not saying he (Gandhi) was the only choice available. But there cannot be two opinions that the person chosen by them is absolutely the right pick and I want to congratulate the opposition for this,” said Bhattacharjee.

Asked about the possibility of Gandhi’s victory in the 5 August election, given the NDA’s majority in the electoral college, Bhattacharjee said she was not looking at the results as she was not a political person.

She added that she was “ignorant” about politics and did not know how the minds of politicians worked.

Bhattacharjee, however, stressed that the country needed people like Gandhi. “There is absolutely no doubt about that,” she said.

“He (Gandhi) has worked in various areas. Besides, he is a scholar, a professor and a very hard working person. He also knows the Constitution very well,” said Bhattacharjee.

Eighteen opposition parties on Tuesday chose Gandhi, the former West Bengal governor, as their joint candidate in the vice-presidential poll.

Gandhi’s name was endorsed by all the 18 parties, including the JD(U), which had broken ranks with the other opposition parties to back NDA candidate Ram Nath Kovind in the 17  July presidential election.