Will continue my relentless fight for State, he says

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, a tech savvy, has completed 40 years of political life. He has apparently set a trend in re-engineering political leadership. From taking pride on calling himself the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Andhra Pradesh in undivided Andhra Pradesh, Mr. Naidu moved on to Core DashBoard and Real Time Governance (RTG) post bifurcation leaving his visitors awestruck.

“This February marks the 40 years of my political journey. I had everything in my political career. I shall continue my relentless fight for Andhra Pradesh,” he said a couple of days ago.

Starting as a youth leader, Mr. Naidu became a local youth Congress president and MLA in 1978. By serving as Chief Minister from 1995-2004 and as Opposition leader for a decade (2004-2014), he saw both successful and turbulent years. He survived an attempt on his life when suspected People’s War Naxalites exploded an improvised claymore mine targeting his motorcade on the Tirumala ghat road in 2003. Probably every page in his political life is interesting and inspiring. He is best known for his focus on urban governance and likes to try out innovative ideas, especially when it came to governance and technology.

“And perhaps the only Chief Minister whose objectives and achievements are difficult to describe without using terms from classic management texts. He is an institution himself,” says TDP politbureau member and Agriculture Minister Somireddi Chandramohan Reddy.

Empty coffers

Mr. Naidu’s associates recall that the coffers were empty when he took the reins in 1995. An astute Mr. Naidu released 12 white papers on the State finances and other issues and introduced many market-based reforms while at the same time formulating many populist schemes which none of his predecessors did. During his third stint as CM now, the welfare programmes are being taken to saturation level.

The coffers were empty again and AP was facing revenue deficit when he returned to power post- bifurcation. A tweak in the nomenclature of the weekly calendar — Somavaram polavaram (Monday is Polavaram day) offers vision of and a revealing insight into Mr. Naidu, they say.

Mr. Naidu played a key role in the economic development of the united Andhra Pradesh and was striving to develop AP now. He is very adept in turning the difficulties into opportunities, says Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu.

Singapore role

And the high rise towers of Cyberabad and the Hi-tech city erased from memory the question of ethics and events of the party coup in 1995. Now, Mr. Naidu, an ardent admirer of Singapore and its founding father, the late Lee Kuan Yew, has roped in entities from the city-state in designing and developing the new capital Amaravati.

Minister Kala Venkat Rao

says Mr. Naidu has been running against time from the day he returned to power in 2014. He reveals his goal for years to come. “We will live the dream of linking the five major rivers. Once it is a reality, AP would be free from drought! I shall continue my relentless fight for the State,” he says.