It is often said there is no short cut to success in any field. One has to work hard to come up in life and make a mark for himself.
It applies to politics, too; but in this field, one has to master the art of manipulations, taking U-turns, changing stances and strategies and even give up one’s principles. One has to push the others down, if one wants to climb up the ladder.
This is what Telugu Desam Party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu has done.
September 1 is a milestone in his political career, as it was on this date 30 years ago that he had first taken oath as the chief minister of combined Andhra Pradesh.
Over these three decades, Naidu has experienced numerous highs and lows — serving four times as chief minister and three times as leader of the Opposition.
As an administrator, Naidu not only shaped Andhra Pradesh politics but also left an indelible mark on the people of the Telugu states.
A wave that has repeatedly risen after falling, Naidu’s life could well be a case study for a Ph.D. in political science to understand how a person could change his colours so quickly just for the sake of power.
Everyone knows Naidu’s story — a young MLA from the Congress who boldly declared that he would even contest against his father-in-law if necessary, and within a year, joined the very party of that father-in-law.
As a young leader, he dared to stand up to a strong leader like Marri Chenna Reddy. Later, Naidu wrested control of the party from Telugu icon N T Rama Rao, establishing himself as a sharp strategist.
He led the United Front at the national level, supported by the TDP’s political enemy the Congress to prevent the BJP from coming to power, but did not hesitate to join hands with the same saffron party in 1999 to ensure that political power did not slip away.
In 2004, he lost to his arch rival Y S Rajasekhara Reddy’s aggressive politics and dumped the BJP like a hot potato.
He spent a decade in opposition before bouncing back in 2014, thanks to his alliance with the BJP which he had denounced and vowed never to ally with it again, demonstrating his survival instincts.
But YSR Congress party president Y S.Jagan Mohan Reddy’s political aggression pushed him to part ways with the BJP again, resulting in a crushing defeat at the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s political might.
Many thought it was the end of Naidu’s political journey, predicting the party’s disappearance. Always a careful politician, Naidu found himself in jail for 52 days, only to once again negotiate a truce with the BJP and rise as a formidable challenger to Jagan.
Today, the same Prime Minister who once mocked Lokesh as a “son rising” is now welcoming him with special invitations — yet another example of Naidu’s political resilience.
The secret to his survival? No rigid ideologies, no fixed doctrines. Naidu follows the philosophy of seizing every opportunity, making the most of every situation without hesitation, and moving ahead despite criticism.
For him, “the winner is always the hero” — Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar.
