From being farmer's son to Vice President, Venkaiah Naidu's journey is inspiring: PM Modi

Hyderabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday released three books on the life of M Venkaiah Naidu and recalled his contributions, including the fight against imposition of Emergency and as Union Minister and Vice President. Recalling that the 50th anniversary of Emergency was observed recently, he said Naidu was even in jail for about 17 months during the fight against Emergency. The Emergency was imposed by the Congress by tarnishing the image of the country's Constitution, he said.

The books, including a biography, were released on the eve of Naidu's 75th birthday. Expressing happiness over releasing the biography and two other books, Modi exuded confidence that the books would inspire people and show the right direction for national service. The journey of Naidu, from being a farmer's son to occupying high-ranking positions as Union Minister and Vice President, is filled with many experiences, he said.

Naidu chose to take up the Rural Development ministry in the cabinet of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, despite being a senior in the party, as he wanted to serve the villages, farmers and the poor, he said. During Naidu's tenure as Urban Development Minister as his senior cabinet colleague, several initiatives, including Swachh Bharat Mission and Smart Cities Mission, were started, Modi said.

Praising Naidu's oratory, wittiness, alertness and spontaneity, he recalled the latter's comment of 'ek hath me BJP ka jhanda aur doosre hath me NDA ka agenda' (BJP's flag in one hand and NDA's agenda in another hand) during the Vajpayee regime. During Naidu's tenure as Chairman of Rajya Sabha, the bill to abolish Article 370 was passed with majesty, dignity and honour though the government did not have majority in the upper house, he said. BJP grew as a 'vatvriksh' (banyan tree) that it is today, due to the efforts of lakhs of activists like Naidu, he said.

He hoped that the country would emerge as a developed nation in 2047 when Naidu celebrates his 100th birthday. In his response, Naidu thanked the Prime Minister for releasing the books. Appreciating Modi's endeavour for the country's development, he said skill development is the need of the hour. "Development and welfare must go hand in hand. We should not be tempted by these freebies and then make the people lazy.

Yes, we must give them a helping hand. You have been giving free ration to crores of people across the country. That should continue as long as it is required. But, at the same time, skill development is the need of the hour," the former Vice President said. Naidu also favoured promoting Indian languages. The books released by the PM include biography of the former Vice President titled "Venkaiah Naidu – Life in Service," "Celebrating Bharat – The Mission and Message of Shri M Venkaiah Naidu as 13th Vice–President of India", a photo chronicle and a pictorial biography in Telugu titled "Mahaneta – Life and Journey of Shri M Venkaiah Naidu." Venkaiah Naidu, several other leaders and prominent personalities attended the event.