Nara Chandrababu Naidu. For you, he may be the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and a key player in the 2019 ‘mahagathbandhan’ or grand alliance saga that’s taking shape. But having worked closely with him, for me, he is a dynamic statesman, a politician par excellence and a reformer, a visionary with the strongest will to make a difference in people’s lives.
Having followed the wisdoms of Swami Vivekananda all my life, I strongly believe that “when an idea exclusively occupies the mind, it is transformed into an actual physical or mental state”. Naidu represents every word that Swamiji has spoken. I have conviction that he will reform not just Andhra Pradesh, but also toil hard for the development of India. Here’s a fascinating account of the incredible journey of one of India’s most effective leaders.
Political administration and bureaucracy are two very important but dissimilar pillars of democracy. The right coordination between the two is what makes a nation powerful. Politicians, leaders like Chandrababu Naidu, work for people’s welfare, development and growth and strike the perfect balance between short-term goals, long-term vision and commitment to delivery.
His prowess can be witnessed in the numbers that today define Andhra Pradesh, one of the fastest-growing states in India with a GDP of $125 billion, ranked No.1 in India by the World Bank in the Ease of Doing Business for two consecutive years. Naidu himself has been at the epicenter in initiating a series of reforms to realise Andhra Pradesh’s vision of being a developed state by 2029 and building the world-class futuristic capital city of Amaravati, poised to become one of the top 10 cities in the world.
Some say it’s a miracle that a research scholar in Tirupati, hailing from a middle-class background, without a godfather or sound financial background, reached where he is today. I think otherwise. It takes a transformative, judicious and a true leader to accomplish the phenomenal rise this man has witnessed.
As he completed four decades in politics last year, he has become a darling of industry captains across the globe, redefining politics that is driven by populism. Firing on all rockets, he has emerged as a role model for a nation marred with controversies and accusations across quarters. Sure, this man has confronted unexpected setbacks in his long career. Who hasn’t? But, he has emerged a phoenix who’s risen from the ashes with achievements that clearly show that he has learnt the right lessons. His determination is stronger than ever before because he is wiser from his experiences. Lest you forget, it was the same energy which inspired the transformation, during his previous stint as chief minister, of the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad into a cyberhub rivaling Bengaluru, labelled India’s Silicon Valley.
Be it to convince automobile giant Kia Motors to set up their plant in Anantapur, one of India’s most backward districts and transforming its landscape, or integrating two major rivers, the Godavari and the Krishna, with the Pattiseema Project providing water to lakhs of farmers across the state, Naidu is a true visionary who is work-oriented, highly committed to achieving goals, a leader rare to find in a democracy of ours.
He has pushed through new projects with breath-taking speed, presided over ambitious plans and innovated and accelerated on many fronts in a manner that very few have attempted so far. At another level, it demonstrates the conviction of a three-term chief minister to not just think out of the box but also strive for the seemingly impossible.
From making his cabinet meetings paper free, thereby more efficient and smart, or launching bike ambulances to make medical care accessible to the remotest parts of the state or providing solar pumpsets to farmers at highly subsidised prices making them access power for free anytime, with a ‘People First’ motto, N Chandrababu Naidu’s undertakings are not merely on paper, they are quantifiable! It was NTR’s charisma, his intellectual and ideological conviction that made him a champion of the Telugus. It is Naidu who has built brand Andhra Pradesh and brought about a new social and economic order in the state through the regime of the people he governs.
(Author is an Entreprenuer, Economist and Ex-Vice Chairperson of Nasscom Product Council. Views are personal)
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