New Delhi: Successive coalition governments in India, which lasted for over two decades until 2014, were able to produce “better results” than the preceding majority governments, largely due to the economic reforms introduced by P.V. Narasimha Rao as Prime Minister, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said Tuesday.
But the rise of Narendra Modi as Prime Minister marked a “turning point,” restoring not just political stability, but also a “renewed sense of national pride,” he added, delivering a lecture on the life and legacy of Rao at the Prime Minister’s Museum and Library (PMML).
“India witnessed coalition governments from 1989 to 2014. Because of economic reforms, coalition governments were able to produce better results that governments with clear majority were not able to produce,” Naidu said.
In his lecture, delivered as part of the Prime Ministers’ Lecture Series organised by the PMML (formerly Nehru Memorial Museum and Library), Naidu invoked Rao’s qualities as a polyglot to briefly wade into a political hot potato—the language row in Maharashtra.
“He (Rao) was a scholar fluent in 17 languages. Now we are talking why we should learn Hindi. He learnt 17 languages. That is how he became a great man,” Naidu said, describing Rao as the “Deng Xiaoping of India” for his role in the 1991 economic liberalisation, which marked a shift from India’s earlier socialist model.
Former principal secretary to PM Modi Nripendra Misra also described Rao, who was awarded (posthumously) India’s highest civilian award Bharat Ratna in 2024, in similar terms in his introductory remarks at the event.
“He (Rao) was heading a minority government. To bring in bold reforms, political consensus is required. He managed to bring it due to his political acumen. To bring all in one platform was his greatest achievement,” Naidu said, drawing applause from a packed auditorium.
The TDP supremo’s remarks on Rao were largely confined to his role in unshackling the Indian economy, steering clear of any reference to the political circumstances, particularly his falling-out with Gandhi family, that led to him slipping into near-oblivion after his term as Prime Minister ended in 1996.
A significant portion of Naidu’s nearly 30-minute address focused on the achievements of Modi. The TDP is a key coalition partner in the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the BJP, which fell short of securing a simple majority in the 2024 general election.
Under Modi, India is taking strides on the world stage with “confidence, clarity of purpose and bold decision making,” Naidu said. He also made it a point to recall Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s role in transforming India’s physical infrastructure and telecom sector.
India, said Naidu, was primed to become an economic superpower, even surpassing the US and China, if it weds political stability with sound public policy. “Hard work is no longer relevant, smart work is,” Naidu said, making a strong pitch for quantum computing.
As CM, Naidu has taken up an ambitious project of developing a “quantum city” in Amaravati. It is designed to include startups, MNCs, academia and research laboratories and will feature a building housing India’s largest quantum computer, which, Naidu said, will arrive by 1 January, 2026.
“We are in inspiring times. The next 20 years are very crucial for India … With Modi at the helm of leadership, we will become the number one economy. It will happen through unity, hard work and a shared sense of purpose,” Naidu said.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
Also Read: ‘This secret will perish with me’ — when Narasimha Rao was asked if India delayed nuclear test
