Venkaiah's life is an example of commitment to public service, says PM Modi | India News

Today, the ancient Indian state vice-president Mr. Venkaiah Naidu Garu, a respected and respected statesman, is celebrating his 75th birthday. I wish him a long and healthy life and also convey my greetings to all his well-wishers. This is an occasion to celebrate a leader whose life journey highlights dedication, adaptability and an unwavering commitment to Public Service.From his beginnings in the political arena to his tenure as vice president, Venkaiah Garu's career illustrates his unique ability to navigate the complexities of Indian politics with ease and humility. His eloquence, wit and relentless focus on development issues have earned him cross-party respect.
Venkaiah Garu and I have worked together for decades and I have learned a lot from him. He loves people. He started as a student activist and preferred working with the Sangh Parivar because he was inspired by its ideology of “nation first”. After working with the RSS and ABVP, he joined and strengthened the Jana Sangh and the BJP.
He joined the resistance against the Emergency imposed in 1975 and was jailed for inviting Justice of the Peace Loknayak to Andhra Pradesh. His commitment to democracy led him to join the movement against the dismissal of the NT Rama Rao government by the Congress in the mid-1980s.
Venkaiah Garu has always been comfortable swimming against the most formidable tides. In 1978, Andhra Pradesh voted for the Congress, but he bucked the trend and was elected as a young MP. Five years later, he defied the NTR wave to be re-elected as a BJP MP, paving the way for the BJP's growth across the state.
All vouch for Venkaiah Garu's oratorical talents. He is certainly a wordsmith, but he is just as much a worker. As a young MP, he distinguished himself as a people's representative and legislator. No less than a stalwart like NTR noticed his talent and even wanted him to join his party, but Venkaiah Garu refused to abandon his core ideology. He later played an important role in strengthening the BJP in AP. He led the party in the Assembly and even became the state BJP chief.
Recognizing his efforts, the BJP leadership appointed him as the party's national general secretary, a remarkable achievement for a grassroots activist. He quickly became party president.
In 2000, when Atal ji wanted to appoint him to the government, Venkaiah Garu surprised everyone by expressing his preference for the Ministry of Rural Development. However, being the son of a farmer who spent his early years in villages, Venkaiah Garu was clear about his choice and was involved in the design and implementation of the 'Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojana'. When the NDA government was formed in 2014, it handled the crucial portfolios of urban development, housing and urban poverty alleviation. It was during his tenure that we launched the important Swachh Bharat Mission.
When I came to Delhi in 2014, I was an outsider and benefited from Venkaiah Garu's ideas. He was an effective Minister of Parliamentary Affairs. He knew the essence of bipartisanship, but at the same time he drew a line when it came to norms and rules.
Nominating him as the NDA vice-presidential candidate in 2017 involved a dilemma. Finding his replacement in the government was difficult, but at the same time, there was no better vice-presidential candidate than him. I will never forget the speech he gave when he resigned as a minister and an MP, recalling his association with the party. It showed his commitment.
On becoming vice-president, he took various steps which also enhanced the dignity of the office. He was an outstanding chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
When the decision to scrap Articles 370 and 35(A) was presented in the Rajya Sabha, Venkaiah Garu was sitting in the Chair. It must have been an emotional moment for him, the young boy who had been attracted to Syama Prasad Mookerjee's dream of a united India was sitting in the Chair when this decision was finally taken.
Venkaiah Garu is also a voracious reader and writer. In Delhi, he is also known as the person who brought the glorious Telugu culture to the city. Its Ugadi and Sankranti programs are clearly among the most popular gatherings in the city. He loves food and also entertaining people.
Even today, Venkaiah garu has an active public life and calls me on issues that interest him as well as on important developments.
I wish him success once again in this important step. I hope that all those who have a passion for public service will learn from his life and imbibe these values. It is people like him who make our nation better and more vibrant.
(The author is the Prime Minister of India)