Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh assembly on Thursday paid rich tributes to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee who died recently. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu recalled his association with the depa-rted leader and termed Vajpayee as a visionary having high values. A resolution paying tributes to Vajpayee was adopted by the Assembly.
On the occasion, Mr Naidu mentioned how Vajpayee, despite being the PM, heeded his suggestions, though he was the Chief Minister of a state. He had given suggestions on introducing the golden quadrilateral project that changed the face of highways of the country and also in selecting missile man A.P.J. Abdul Kalam as the President of India.
Many other members of the House also praised Vajpayee’s yeomen services to the nation.
Mr Naidu said that Vajpayee stood in support of the late NTR during infamous August crisis and had flown down to Hyderabad from Delhi during such testing times.
“When I went to Malay-sia during the 90s I was surprised to see six and eight-lane roads for a population of just 2 crore. I thought, why can’t we have such roads for 100 crore population in India. After I returned I shared my thoughts with the then PM Vajpayee who readily agreed to my suggestions and launched the golden quadrilateral project. Such was Vajpayee’s humility that he was always ready to accept proposals and suggestions from others,” he said and added, “I was in Tuni when I got a phone call from Vajpayee informing me that Alexander’s name was being considered for post of the President which I opposed, and then later, I suggested the name of APJ Abdul Kalam. Vajpayee took a day and finalised Kalam. Abdul Kalam also wrote in his book how he got a phone call from me asking him to accept the proposal by Vajpayee on nominating Kalam’s name for the President’s post.”
TD MLA from Hindupur, actor Nandamuri Balakr-ishna, recalled how Vajpayee had inaugurated a small 40-bed Basavat-arakam cancer hospital.
He added that Vajpayee readily agreed to inaugurate the hospital due to his special bond with his father, late N.T. Rama Rao.
