Former Union Finance Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg, who served as an advisor on resource mobilization to former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy until 2024, has described the present Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu as a strong lobbyist who goes to great lengths to secure central funds for his state.
In his biography, “No Minister: Navigating Power, Politics and Bureaucracy with a Steely Resolve,” Garg offers a candid account of his interactions with political leaders, including a striking portrayal of Naidu.
Garg, who served as Union Finance Secretary during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, called Naidu a “relentlessly persuasive administrator.”
He recalled that during the Vajpayee era, Naidu would “virtually drain the blood of the Finance Ministry” to obtain allocations for Andhra Pradesh.
“On multiple occasions, the Union Finance Ministry had to divert large sums to Andhra’s projects; sometimes even bending financial norms to accommodate Naidu’s requests,” Garg wrote.
According to him, nearly 40% of all World Bank-supported projects during that period were implemented in Andhra Pradesh, thanks to Naidu’s lobbying power.
Similarly, concessional loans meant for low-income states under the International Development Agency were disproportionately channelled to Andhra.
“Using his administrative acumen and political leverage, Chandrababu Naidu managed to manoeuvre the Government of India’s budgetary and external assistance systems to benefit Andhra Pradesh,” Garg noted.
He added that Naidu even pushed to convert international loans into 100% grants. Although the cap was initially at 70%, Naidu reportedly used political pressure at the Prime Minister’s level to get what he wanted.
Garg described Naidu’s style as bordering on “maniacal zeal”; a single-minded determination to bring as many central resources as possible to his state, even if it meant denying proportional allocations to others.
The book points out that while central grants to all states grew by only 2.6%, Andhra’s share surged by 34%, showing how effectively Naidu used his political capital.
Garg concludes that Naidu’s assertive lobbying is a double-edged trait.
“Whether one calls it selfishness or statecraft,” he writes, “Naidu’s commitment to Andhra’s development was unquestionable.”
