N. Chandrababu Naidu
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| Nara Chandrababu Naidu | |
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15th Chief Minister, Andhra Pradesh
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| Preceded by | N.T. Rama Rao |
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| Succeeded by | Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy |
| Constituency | Kuppam |
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| Born | April 20, 1950 Naravaripally, Chittoor district Andhra Pradesh |
| Political party | Telugu Desam Party |
| Spouse | Bhuvaneshwari Nara |
| Children | Lokesh Nara (Son) |
| Residence | Jubilee Hills Hyderabad, India |
| Religion | Hindu |
| Website | http://chandrababunaidu.com |
Nara Chandrababu Naidu (Telugu:నారా చంద్రబాబు నాయుడు) (born April 20, 1950) was the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh from 1995 to 2004. He holds the record of being the longest-serving chief minister of Andhra Pradesh[1]. He is also the founder of Heritage Foods. He is currently the leader of the opposition in the Andhra Pradesh state assembly, and the president of Telugu Desam Party, the second largest legislative party in Andhra Pradesh.
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[edit] Early life and political career
Naidu was born in Naravaripally, a village in the Chittoor district. He earned a Masters degree in Economics from the Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati, and ventured into politics while pursuing his Ph.D. there. In 1978, Naidu was elected to the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly from the Chandragiri constituency in the Chittoor district, on an Indian National Congress ticket. He became a minister in Tanguturi Anjaiah's cabinet, holding various portfolios including Archives, Cinematography, Technical Education, Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development, Public Libraries and Minor Irrigation between 1980 to 1983. He also served as the Chairman of the Karshak Parishad.
After losing the election from Chandragiri in 1983 on a Congress party ticket, he resigned from the Congress and joined the Telugu Desam Party founded by his father-in-law Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao, and was elected again to the State Legislature from the Kuppam constituency of the Chittoor district in 1989 on a Telugu Desam Party ticket.
In 1994, he was re-elected to the Assembly from the Kuppam constituency with one of the largest margins of victory (57,000 votes), and went on to hold portfolios such as Finance and Revenue. It was during Naidu's tenure that the Finance department became significantly more transparent.
[edit] Chief Ministership
In 1995, Naidu was successful in defecting a large number of his party MLAs against the party president and his father-in-law N. T. Rama Rao. He had sensed a challenge from Lakshmi Parvathi, second wife of N. T. Rama Rao, for the Chief Ministership, and hence pioneered a rebellion in the party by defecting a large number of MLAs in to his cadre. He had put up several party MLAs in a hotel in order to prevent them from going back to Mr. Rama Rao's cadre and despite efforts by the latter to win them back, managed to set his flock in order. He was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh on 1 September 1995. This whole episode still remains as a dark stop in his career with his opponents terming it as a 'back stabbing' of his own father-in-law
Naidu was instrumental in making Hyderabad one of the IT hubs in the country. A key development for this was Microsoft's decision to set up a development center in Hyderabad.[2] Naidu also set up a Biotech park, and intended to make Andhra Pradesh the number one destination in biotechnology. [3].
Much of the modernisation of the administration of the area is attributed to Naidu, who computerized a number of government operations and led initiatives to improve the government-public interface, particularly in streamlining the process of payment of all utility bills and taxes. There was a great emphasis on infrastructure, and the state saw a sudden increase in the road networks.[4]. He was also instrumental in the development of the new Hyderabad international airport. During his tenure, many ports and IT parks were developed with private-public partnership.
On the rural front he launched schemes like "Janmabhoomi", a project encouraging people to be part of the development of the state. He was also instrumental in creating Development of Women and Children in Rural Areas (DWCRA) groups, whose mission is to provide social and economic infrastructure to the women of Andhra Pradesh. However, he attracted criticism for neglecting the agricultural sector, which accounts for more than 70% of the state's population.
[edit] 2003 Assassination attempt
On October 1, 2003, Naidu was involved in a land mine blast, which was believed to be part of an assassination attempt, planned by a naxal outfit, Peoples War Group, now known as CPI Maoist. He escaped with a fractured left collared bone and a hairline fracture to two of his right ribs. The incident occurred around 16:00 (IST) when Naidu was travelling in a convoy, heading to the Lord Venkateshwara temple in the Tirumala hills for the annual Brahmotsavam festival.[5].
The explosive material used in the assassination attempt was Gel 90 and was sourced from Wardha. The State Information Technology Minister B. Gopalakrishna Reddy, TDP legislators R. Rajasekhar Reddy and Ch. Krishnamurthy, as well as the driver Srinivasa Raju, were also injured. After an extensive investigation Naidu's survival was attributed to the armored vehicle in which he was traveling.
[edit] Defeat in 2004
In 1999, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy launched a campaign targeting rural neglect and promised free electricity to farmers. This move backfired, and TDP's alliance with the BJP, who had just won the Kargil War, won the election. During the period between 1995-1999 the state also witnessed high economic growth in all sectors, and the improvement in the quality of life.
TDP lost the elections in 2004 to the Congress party, under Reddy's leadership. The 2004 defeat was attributed to persistent drought that crippled the rural agriculture economy. Naidu's focus on IT has been cited as a factor in his ignoring traditional economic drivers like agriculture. Many newspapers and opposition leaders criticized him for his obsession with technology, and his unfamiliarity with the problems of the poor; he was also criticized for patronizing the World Bank.
During his tenure, many non-performing government industries were shut down, resulting in the loss of large number of jobs. Property taxes and charges for government services, including registration of fixed assets, were increased fourfold or more, which created financial insecurity in the middle income groups. The movement for a separate Telangana state is also said to have played a major role for the party's loss in the Telangana districts. Factors such as anti-incumbency factors, farmers' suicides, widespread drought, naxalite problems and neglecting rural areas in favour of urban areas are also said to have contributed towards the defeat of TDP in 2004 state assembly elections.
