PTI
NEW DELHI: (Sep 12) Named after first Vice President S Radhakrishnan and strongly rooted in the RSS and the BJP, Chandrapuram Ponnusamy Radhakrishnan brings with him a rich political and administrative experience as the 15th vice president of India, which his supporters believe will also prove handy in his role as the ex-officio chairperson of the Rajya Sabha.Seen as a soft-spoken and non-confrontational leader, the 67-year-old Radhakrishnan took oath on Friday. He succeeds Jagdeep Dhankhar, who resigned as vice president on July 21, taking everyone by surprise. Radhakrishnan is the third leader from Tamil Nadu to occupy the coveted post.Dhankhar was known for his frequent run-ins with the Opposition, and had even faced an impeachment notice from them.Described as a ‘Pachai Tamizhan’ (true-blue Tamil) by well-wishers, Radhakrishnan was serving as the governor of Maharashtra when he was named as the vice presidential nominee of the BJP-led NDA.On Tuesday, when he was elected as the vice president, his mother Janaki Ammal fondly recalled the story behind his name.”When my son was born, the then President Radhakrishnan was in office. He was a teacher, and I too was a teacher. In his memory, I named my son after him. At that time, my husband looked at me and asked, ‘are you giving this name because you want your son to become the President one day?’ After 62 years, just as my husband had said, it has come true,” she had told reporters in Tamil Nadu.
