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The birthday gift came 17 days later, but it was one of the sweetest for M Venkaiah Naidu, as he was chosen the NDA nominee for the vice presidential poll. Rumours that the urban development minister was the ruling party’s pick for the post were doing the rounds since Monday morning.
As soon as he walked up to the Opposition benches in the Rajya Sabha, where he is a member, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and D Raja from the CPI were seen congratulating him, even before an official announcement.
“From Usha pati, you are finally becoming Uparashtrapati,” senior CPM MP Sitaram Yechury said referring to Naidu’s earlier comment that he was “Usha’s pati (husband) and did not want to become the rashtrapati (President).
The candidature of Naidu, son of late Rangaiah, a farmer hailing from Chavatapalam in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh, was discussed widely before the BJP chose Ram Nath Kovind as its Presidential candidate.
Naidu’s rise has not been a cakewalk. He lost his mother Ramanamma when he was 18-months-old, after a buffalo gored her. He was brought up by his grandmother.
Naidu, who began his career as a student politician, was imprisoned under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act during the Emergency. He later became the president of the Janata Party’s youth wing in Andhra Pradesh.
He served as the Yuva Morcha chief for three years from 1980 and was also the BJP Legislature Party leader in Andhra Pradesh in 1980 and 1985 .
Naidu, a four-term Rajya Sabha MP, became the general secretary of the BJP in 1993 and later served as the party president from September 2002 to October 2004.
As soon as he walked up to the Opposition benches in the Rajya Sabha, where he is a member, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and D Raja from the CPI were seen congratulating him, even before an official announcement.
“From Usha pati, you are finally becoming Uparashtrapati,” senior CPM MP Sitaram Yechury said referring to Naidu’s earlier comment that he was “Usha’s pati (husband) and did not want to become the rashtrapati (President).
The candidature of Naidu, son of late Rangaiah, a farmer hailing from Chavatapalam in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh, was discussed widely before the BJP chose Ram Nath Kovind as its Presidential candidate.
Naidu’s rise has not been a cakewalk. He lost his mother Ramanamma when he was 18-months-old, after a buffalo gored her. He was brought up by his grandmother.
Naidu, who began his career as a student politician, was imprisoned under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act during the Emergency. He later became the president of the Janata Party’s youth wing in Andhra Pradesh.
He served as the Yuva Morcha chief for three years from 1980 and was also the BJP Legislature Party leader in Andhra Pradesh in 1980 and 1985 .
Naidu, a four-term Rajya Sabha MP, became the general secretary of the BJP in 1993 and later served as the party president from September 2002 to October 2004.
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(Published 17 July 2017, 20:07 IST)
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