An eventful & fruitful journey

Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu garu may have retired from active political life but as he himself said, will never be tired of public life.

My association with Venkaiah Naidu Garu is very old and most cherished. Both of us started our stint in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly at the same time in 1978.

Though we belonged to different political parties, we have had several opportunities to work together. Naidu Garu and his party played a significant role in the 'Save Democracy' movement in 1984 when the TDP government was ousted and NT Rama Rao was removed as Chief Minister by the then Congress government.

After the formation of Andhra Pradesh in 2014, he extended a lot of help to the state in his capacity as a Minister in the Central Government.

Venkaiah Naidu Garu has come up the hard way in life. He had a humble beginning but rose in the ranks of his party through loyalty, commitment and sheer hard work.

It is a matter of pride for Telugus that one of their own held such important positions as the national president of the BJP, a Minister in the Central Government and Vice-President of India.

He was a great success in all his responsibilities because he always maintained rapport with colleagues and parties across the aisle.

His oratory has earned him well-deserved recognition at the national level. His wit, wide reading and deep understanding of issues shine through his every utterance.

I wish Venkaiah Naidu Garu and his family a great time ahead.

The writer is former Chief Minister of United Andhra Pradesh and National President of Telugu Desam Party.