I am not associated with any party, my views are my own: Gopalkrishna Gandhi

Opposition's Vice Presidential Candidate Gopalkrishna Gandhi on Tuesday said he doesn't belong to any party, and he is an ordinary citizen and his views are of his own.

"I am an ordinary citizen and I have been selected for this post by the Opposition to represent the common people. I am not associated with any party. My views are my own," Gandhi said here after filling the nomination for the Vice Presidential election.

Gandhi said his nomination for the post simply indicates that the Indian politics has risen above and has got connected with the culture.

"A gap has been created between the people and the Indian politics. I want to just fill up this gap. I am not here to oppose any individual or party. I am here to all humility to place before electors, the aspirations of the citizens of India," he said.

Gandhi further said that the nation is living in times of division, which spells danger for the future, not only for politics but for the nation and civilization.

"I am here not to oppose but to unite the integrated intelligent electoral of the Parliament and the defensive nature of today's new politics," he said.

Gandhi also took a dig at the Shiv Sena for raising question on his nomination, as he had appealed to grant mercy to 1993 Mumbai serial blast convict, Yakub Memon, saying that he believe death penalty belongs to the medieval ages and its wrong.

"My views inspired by Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Ambedkar. I had also written to Pakistan Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding that he should not hang Kulbhushan Jadhav," he said.

Earlier in the day, Gandhi filed his nomination to be the 13th Vice President of India in the Parliament House.

Gandhi was accompanied by Congress President Sonia Gandhi, party vice president Rahul Gandhi, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other eminent leaders of various political parties.

India will go on poll on August 5 to elect its new Vice President.

Gopalkrishna, the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, said a total of 18 opposition parties asked him to be their presidential candidate.

The term of Vice President Hamid Ansari, who is also ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, ends on August 10.

-ANI