Chandrababu Naidu - The Visionary

What about Babu? While NTR was the supremo of the TeluguDesam Party, he is one of the two son-in-laws, who used to take care of the party matters, while NTR is busy with the government.

While it's undeniable fact that it was largely, NTR and his charisma that is responsible for the dramatic victory in the 1982 election with in six months of starting the party with no structure and no grass root workers. Once the party is in power, Babu contributed largely for building up the party and developing a political organization from the grass roots level.

Once he is in the power for various reasons, he changed the politics of the nation, at least part of it. It's not about caste equations any more. It is about development. It is about progress. He might be the first politician in Indian politics, who won the elections with 'progress' as the slogan. He won the elections with out populist schemes like 2Rs/Kg rice and free electricity for farmers OR emotional issues like 'Telugvadi Atma Gourvam/ Pride of Andhra', 'Mandal' or 'Ram Janmabhoomi' OR on a sympathy wave.

Did any one imagine competition between 'Bangalore' and 'Hyderabad' to woo foreign investment? Chief ministers like Digvijay of MP, Naveen Patnaik of Orissa, Krishna from Karnataka, Jaya from TN were fiercely competing against each other, working hard to improve the image of their respective states and prove that they are the best.
It is not an exaggeration to say that Hyderabad was nothing before Babu. In fact they used to get the supplies, right from Medicines to Groceries to Clothes from the Business Capital of the State, Vijayawada. Any one from the city would vouch for the turn around that Babu brought to the capital city. His efforts to make Hyderabad, the next singapore were there for all to see. In addition to all the IT companies it was his conscious efforts to bring the biotechnology companies, Institutes of higher education like IIIT and ISB, to the sports, to the tourism, the infrastructure. His efforts to bring F1 to hyderabad, make it a shopping destination like Dubai, efforts to make it a air transportation hub with Sahara, bring in world class sports center IMG Bharata to prepare Indian youngsters to compete at the global level.

Not just that, the way he worked on the infrastructure with the improved quality of roads every where in the state, making sure the state is a front runner in the early adoption of mobile phones, His efforts to empower the woman with self serving working groups 'DWCRA', And involving the people in the development process with visionary programs like JanmaBhoomi encouraging the citizens to contribute for the infrastructure and making matching grants, SramaDanam with citizens actually providing physical labour cleaning up the water streams and lakes, building roads etc... Raitu Bazaars to cut the middle men looting the farmers and providing them a platform to sell their own goods and make it cheaper for the consumers.. His contribution to Law and Order and Admnistration by giving powers to the Police Commisioners and District Collectors to work with freedom shielding them from political pressures. His unannounced visits to any government office at any time catching them off guard alerted all the government offices to work in a disciplined environment.

His efforts to bring in IT into every government wing computerizing records to decrease corruption and delays. His reforms in production and distribution of electricity are unparalleled. His efforts to bring higher education to the masses changed the lives of many.

Being a post graduate in Economics, most of his initiatives have long term objectives. His principals are right out the Economics text books. Don't give the fish to the poor, give the net. In India 75% people live in villages and work in agriculture related industries and contribute only 25% of the GDP. He tried to move people from lesser productive agriculture related industries to newer industries like Biotech and IT related industries. There are many more things he tried to make impact like drip irrigation, inkudugunthalu to rise the underground water level and SEZs for other industries.

Not all good things last for ever, you have a drought for 3 consecutive years and you know what happens. Crops get effected people get effected, and people need solutions now. Not tomorrow. And then 'populist' schemes work. Congress leader walked 1600 km across and promised free electricity to the farmers. People want Food and Water and NOW and can not care about the progress we are making over all. We can not fault any one. Things happen. It's a pity how the current government is working. And look at Babu, he has put on the politician Mask and is all out for a dirty war or mud slinging.

He might have been corrupt and might have stole a lot of money for himself. But he is also a visionary and have a great vision for the future of Andhra Pradesh. Swarnandhra as he called it in Vision 2020 document, may be the first by an Indian government to set such long term goals instead of populist measures to hang on to the power. I hope he would come back to power, and when he is back, he stops talking politics and continue his great work.