The Opposition’s Vice-Presidential candidate, Margaret Alva , who never shies away from a good fight, has made the election about 'non-representation' of South India in the country's top leadership. Edited excerpts:
The numbers are stacked against the Opposition in the Vice-Presidential [V-P] election, but you have chosen to contest. Is there a political point that you wish to make?
Well, win or lose, a contest had to be faced, right. You're not going to just give away. The Opposition requested me, saying that most of them felt that I would be able to articulate their point of view. And I said yes, without hesitation. Let me say I am making a point. Always, there has been a convention that the top posts have a representation of different regions. In the present set-up, the President is from the north, the Prime Minister is from the north and now you have the V-P candidate from the north. The south is nowhere in the picture, including the Lok Sabha Speaker. I want to know why is south ignored. Why couldn’t Shri Venkaiah Naidu been given another term? He could have been given a second term. He's been such a distinguished person, a very loyal man of their party and respected in the south very much. Why not he for another term? Where is the south in this whole set-up? Who represents us?
