Hyderabad, June 30 (NSS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi released three books on the life and journey of former Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu on the eve of his 75th birthday via video conferencing today.
The books released by the Prime Minister include Biography of the former Vice President titled “Venkaiah Naidu – Life in Service” authored by S Nagesh Kumar, former Resident Editor of The Hindu, Hyderabad edition; “Celebrating Bharat – The Mission and Message of M Venkaiah Naidu as 13th Vice–President of India”, a photo chronicle compiled by Dr I.V. Subba Rao, former Secretary to Vice-President of India; and Pictorial biography in Telugu titled “Mahaneta – Life and Journey of M. Venkaiah Naidu” authored by Sanjay Kishore.
Addressing the occasion, the Prime Minister noted that M. Venkaiah Naidu will be completing 75 years on July 1 and said, “These 75 years have been extraordinary and it encompasses magnificent stopovers.” The Prime Minister expressed delight in releasing M. Venkaiah Naidu’s biography and two other books based on his life. He expressed confidence that these books will become a source of inspiration for the people while also illuminating the correct path to serving the nation.
Reminiscing about his long association with the former Vice-President, the Prime Minister said he had the opportunity to work with Venkaiah for a long period. This collaboration began during Venkaiah’s tenure as the national president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), followed by his senior role in the Cabinet, his tenure as the Vice-President of the country, and later as the Speaker of the Rajya Sabha. “One can imagine the wealth of experience a person hailing from a small village may have gathered while holding such significant posts. Even I learned a lot from Venkaiah”, he added.
The Prime Minister expressed happiness about the current state of BJP and Jana Sangh in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana as compared to how it was decades ago without any strong foundation. He said, “Despite such lacunae, Naidu strived in his role as an ABVP Karyakarta with the ideology of “Nation First” and had made up his mind to achieve something for the nation.” He lauded Naidu for his fighting tooth and nail against the Emergency, which was imposed 50 years ago in the nation, despite being imprisoned for about 17 months.
Prime Minister said Naidu proved himself when he got the opportunity to become a part of the Vajpayee Government where he chose to become the Union Minister for Rural Development. “Naidu wanted to serve the villages, the poor and the farmers”, Modi added.
The Prime Minister concluded his address by reminiscing & reciting a few lines of a poem which he had dedicated to Naidu in the Rajya Sabha once. He congratulated & wished Venkaiah Naidu on completing 75 years of his life’s journey. Modi expressed confidence that a Developed India (Viksit Bharat) would be celebrating its “century of freedom” in 2047 while Naidu would be celebrating his centennial milestone. (NSS)
