Varanasi, Sep 17 (PTI) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, as well as the NDA for “giving stability” to the country, while also pitching for interlinking of rivers across the country.
Naidu further sought 5-10 acres of land from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Varanasi to build a Balaji temple.
Speaking at the launch of the Seva Sankalp bike yatra here to mark Modi’s 76th birthday and 25 years in public office, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief said the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) had provided political stability and credited the Centre with supporting key Andhra Pradesh issues such as the state capital Amaravati and Polavaram.
The TDP is part of the BJP-led NDA.
“Under the leadership of Narendra Modi ji, the NDA has given this country stability,” Naidu said, adding that “stability builds confidence, confidence brings investment, investment creates jobs and jobs change families.” “For us, cooperative federalism is not a slogan. It is daily experience. The Centre stood with us for Amaravati. The Centre stood with us for Polavaram,” he said.
Naidu said the partnership between the Centre and states should continue, asserting, “We stand together. We will remain together for future. Our unity is our strength. Our unity is the country’s strength.” The Andhra Pradesh chief minister also made a strong pitch for linking India’s rivers, saying the country had abundant water resources and that such a project could transform its development trajectory.
“Only our hon’ble prime minister will do the linking of rivers, which is pending in India. If you link all rivers, India will be unstoppable,” he said.
“If you link Brahmaputra, Ganga, Mahanadi, Kaveri and Godavari, then India will be a different India,” Naidu said.
Beginning his address with calls of “Har Har Mahadev”, “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and “Jai Shri Ram”, Naidu described Kashi as an ancient city that also gave new ideas and said Modi’s journey from Vadnagar to Varanasi had been defined by service.
He said Varanasi had elected Modi to Parliament in 2014, 2019 and 2024, adding that the constituency had “not just elected a leader for Varanasi”, but “gave a leader for the nation”.
Naidu introduced what he called the “VKS mantra”, with V standing for Vadnagar, K for Kashi and S for September, the month of Modi’s birthday.
“This VKS mantra is so powerful. In a democracy, if you think positively, if you can mentor yourself positively, you can reach any position,” he said.
He said the essence of the mantra was to “empower yourself, serve society, build the nation”.
“Modi ji ke liye seva hi dharma hai (Service to people is dharma for Modi),” Naidu said.
Listing welfare and development initiatives of the Modi government, Naidu referred to poverty reduction, free foodgrains, housing, toilets, tap-water connections and direct financial support to farmers under PM-Kisan.
Naidu also praised Modi’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis and referred to India’s vaccination programme and assistance to other countries. He said the government’s emphasis on “Atmanirbhar Bharat” and “Vocal for Local” had helped India move towards greater domestic production, including in defence.
He praised Modi’s interest in emerging technologies, citing space, drones, electronics, robotics, semiconductors and quantum technology. He also referred to India’s start-up ecosystem and women’s welfare and empowerment initiatives.
On national security, Naidu referred to Operation Sindoor and said India had demonstrated its ability to respond to attacks.
“India does not interfere in anybody’s internal affairs. If anybody attacks India, how do we respond… You have seen that during Operation Sindoor. Within no time, we gave a fitting reply,” he said, while also praising Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who was on the stage, too.
Naidu credited Modi and Adityanath with the transformation of Varanasi, speaking about the Kashi Vishwanath Dham, improved connectivity, cleaner ghats and efforts towards rejuvenation of the Ganga.
“Development and heritage must move together,” he said.
He also referred to the Ram temple in Ayodhya, raising the slogan “Jai Shri Ram” and saying the “long-pending issue” had given way to new reality.
Seeking land from Adityanath for a Balaji temple in Varanasi, Naidu said he had come from the sacred land associated with the deity and drew a comparison between the two religious traditions.
“Lord Balaji (is) Kali Yuga’s god; Treta Yuga’s god — Jai Shri Ram. Now I am asking our hon’ble chief minister minimum five to 10 acres of land. We want to build a temple of Balaji here,” he said.
Naidu said India’s modernisation was taking place alongside a renewed emphasis on its civilisational heritage, referring to yoga and other cultural traditions.
He also praised India’s road, airport, port and digital connectivity and referred to One Nation, One Ration Card and “one nation, one election” as great initiatives.
Naidu said the prime minister’s 25 years in constitutional office, first as Gujarat chief minister and then as prime minister, represented a significant public career.
He urged people to work towards making India a developed nation and concluded with the slogan, “Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat, Viksit Bharat – yahi hamara sankalp hai (this is our resolve).” PTI KIS PRK
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