Nara Chandrababu Naidu: Political Philosophy

Political Philosophy - History cannot afford a political vice, Or civilization a holiday.

The lessons of politics had long since been firmly placed. The brain that constantly thinks, so much that close to him you could hear the clock tick-tock, obviously had long since perfected the plan of what to do, and how to lead, and which ideas to be led by. All power lies with people, we don't rule them, we provide them with governance, and we owe them a good government. A SMART government, one of his several coinages, reflects his inner political clarity and sense of accountability.He knew too well that opportunity comes only once, and if missed, we go right back, or worse. Totally dissatisfied with the development achieved till then, he knew his government had to be on the right track from day one. And must always be steered on course.

Thousands of years ago, and all along history, kings had vices for which common people had to pay. Politicians became the corruption, inefficiency and egocentric power play in modern politics. He dismissed them all. No dinners for ministers, no garlands at public functions, no personal paraphernalia, no one-upmaniship, no showbiz or sycophancy. History according to him is too full of wasted chance, and could no longer afford leader's vice. Simple and moral are the fundamentals to watch.Civilization cannot afford to go to sleep, he repeats, and adds, we need to work incessantly. His leaders and party cadre, and the government setup too, took lessons from his own 18-hours-a-day schedule, and followed suit. His popularity rose, not because of publicity but performance. Accountability was another factor he introduced. He went to the people, surprised as they were, to find a government at their doorstep. His surprise checks to ensure work was done, and pulling-up slack officials and rewarding merit, won the people's hearts.Above all, a transparent government. Long preached but always elusive, it was achieved. People were made partners in the development process, and equally responsible. Everyone must work and achieve. Only then the goal could be reached, but the goal now had a name: Swarnandhra Pradesh.But time was running out, and it was a testing period. Elections. Let us perform and leave the rest to the people, he told his party. The trust in people was not wasted. On the eve of the new Millennium, the TDP emerged victorious. On October 11, 1999, he was sworn CM again.