Gopalkrishna Gandhi rejects call to decline JD-U votes

New Delhi, Aug 3 (IANS) Opposition’s Vice Presidential candidate Gopalkrishna Gandhi on Thursday rejected a suggestion that he should not take support of the Janata Dal-United in view of Nitish Kumar joining hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

"Nitish Babu’s decision is his decision and his prerogative," Gandhi said when asked about Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Tariq Anwar suggesting that he should publicly say no to JD-U votes in view of Bihar Chief Minister and JD-U chief Nitish Kumar crossing over to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Nitish Kumar had announced support for Gandhi when he was heading the Grand Alliance government in Bihar backed by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress. He later dumped the two parties to join hands with the BJP but said he would still back Gandhi in the Vice Presidential election.

Gandhi did not comment on Nitish Kumar’s decision to head a coalition government with the BJP in Bihar.

"In the present context, it is not for me to judge politicians… It is for them to assess the relative merits of the two Vice Presidential candidates," Gandhi told IANS in an interview.

Gandhi also did not elaborate on the support being extended to him by the RJD, whose leaders are facing allegations of corruption. "It is again their (RJD’s) decision and their prerogative," he said.

Gandhi, who is being backed by the Congress and some major opposition parties, faces ruling NDA’s M. Venkaiah Naidu in the Vice Presidential election scheduled for August 5.