Venkaiah lauds Vajpayee’s legacy

Vijayawada: Former Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday unveiled the bronze statue of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at Kaleswara Rao Market in the West Assembly constituency here and expressed happiness over the occasion. He congratulated former Union Minister and Vijayawada West MLA Sujana Chowdary for taking up the noble initiative of installing Vajpayee’s statue and for also setting up a mobile medical unit to serve the people.

Addressing the gathering, Venkaiah Naidu said it was the good fortune of the people of Vijayawada West to have Sujana Chowdary as their MLA and described both Vijayawada East and West constituencies as fortunate to be represented by ideal legislators like Sujana Chowdary and Gadde Ramamohan Rao. He said Sujana Chowdary was undertaking several development programmes with a sense of responsibility towards the people who elected him, and added that every MLA should take him as a role model. Public representatives, he said, should serve the people and earn their respect, not dominate them.

Recalling the life and contributions of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Venkaiah Naidu said Vajpayee rose from a grassroots party worker to the Prime Minister and earned admiration even from opposition leaders for his integrity and inclusive politics. He highlighted Vajpayee’s role in national movements, his leadership in launching village road connectivity through the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, and his pioneering efforts in highways, telecom and power connectivity. He also recalled Vajpayee’s statesmanship in undertaking the Lahore Bus Yatra for peace, while firmly safeguarding national security through the Pokhran nuclear tests and decisive leadership during the Kargil conflict.

The former Vice-President urged political workers to stay connected with people, rise above caste and religion, uphold democratic values, and work selflessly for society. He stressed national unity, communal harmony and inclusive development, stating that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, India is emerging as a strong global competitor.

The programme was presided over by BJP district president Adduri Sriram. BJP State president PVN Madhav, General Secretary Nagothu Ramesh Naidu, State Secretary Boddu Nagalakshmi, State Media In-charge Kilari Dileep, Kisan Morcha State President Chigurupati Kumaraswamy and other leaders were present.