Vice-Presidential election 2017: Parkash Badal hails Venkaiah Naidu's victory, says will help India become a superpower

Chandigarh: Former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and his son and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Saturday congratulated M Venkaiah Naidu on being elected as the next vice-president of India. [caption id=“attachment_3108974” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Parkash Singh Badal. PTI[/caption] In a statement issued in Chandigarh, Badal hailed the former Union minister as “one of the most outstanding public figures”, whose contributions to the causes of nation-building, peace and communal harmony were substantial. The veteran Akali leader said Naidu’s vast experience at the highest level, in various capacities, would be an asset to the country. In his congratulatory message, Sukhbir hailed Naidu as a “champion of peace and communal harmony” and said his commitment to strengthening the economic foundations of the society would be of immense help to the country in becoming a superpower. The SAD chief also described Naidu as a “friend of Punjab and Punjabis.”