Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu has said that former Union Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was his role model in early days of his life. Later, the former Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, and former Deputy Prime Minister L. K. Advani became his role models, he said interacting with students at a programme organised at Swarna Bharat Trust at Atkur village, near here, on Sunday.
Answering a volley of questions, the Vice-President said: “Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leaders Bhogadi Durga Prasad, Somepalli Somayya and Deendayal Upadhaya inspired and motivated me to do social service. Reading books, meeting people, listening to speeches, working with dedication and discipline were a few aspects that helped in gaining knowledge and achieving success.”
Striking a balance between public life and personal life was important but a difficult task. Sometimes you have to sacrifice personal life to serve society. The people should realise that giving back something to society was biggest success in their life, he said.
The people should contribute some of their resources towards welfare of society, and uplift of the poorest of the poor is the need of the hour. Even after 70 years of Independence, our country is facing economic disparities and high illiteracy rate in rural areas, even though governments have been working on these issues. Support from people was a must, he added.
The Vice President, later, inaugurated a mcamp organised by the Trust.
Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan, Deputy Speaker Mandali Buddha Prasad, Medical and Health Minister Kamineni Srinivas, Gannavaram MLA Vallabhaneni Vamsi, Vijayawada Commissioner of Police Gautam Sawang, Krishna District Collector B. Lakshmikantham, former IAS officer I.V. Subba Rao and others were present.
Earlier, in an informal chat with reporters, Mr. Naidu said that he would try to help Andhra Pradesh. “Though I may not be able to convene meetings with the Ministers like in the past, but copies of Cabinet meeting do come to me as Vice President of India,” he said.
Stating that he had pitched for special financial assistance for Andhra Pradesh in Parliament after realising that Special Category Status to the State would not be possible, Mr. Naidu said the State had a glorious future as grants from the special financial assistance would help in rapid development of the State. Many projects have been sanctioned to the State. If all those were completed, Andhra Pradesh would be number one State in the country. All political parties have to join hands for the development of State. Both State and Union governments would have to work in tandem, he said.
“I stayed put in Swarna Bharat Trust campus here to avoid inconvenience to the public in the city. Also, I like to work closely with people who are engaged in social service,” he said.
