Praising former Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu’s mild mannerism, eloquence and wit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday recalled that no one can match his level of wit, spontaneity, quick counters and one-liners.

Mr Modi was releasing three books on the life and journey of Mr Naidu on the eve of his 75th birthday via video conferencing.

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The books released by the PM include (i) Biography of the former Vice President titled “Venkaiah Naidu – Life in Service” authored by Mr S Nagesh Kumar, former Resident Editor of The Hindu, Hyderabad edition; (ii) “Celebrating Bharat – The Mission and Message of Shri M Venkaiah Naidu as 13th Vice–President of India”, a Photo chronicle compiled by Dr I V Subba Rao, Former Secretary to Vice-President of India; and (iii) Pictorial biography in Telugu titled “Mahaneta – Life and Journey of Shri M Venkaiah Naidu” authored by Mr Sanjay Kishore.

The PM noted that Mr Naidu will be completing 75 years tomorrow and said, “These 75 years have been extraordinary and it encompasses magnificent stopovers.” He expressed delight in releasing Mr Naidu’s biography and two other books based on his life. He expressed confidence that these books will become a source of inspiration for the people while also illuminating the correct path to serving the nation.

Reminiscing about his long association with the former Vice-President, the PM said he had the opportunity to work with Mr Naidu for a long period. This collaboration began during Mr Naidu’s tenure as the national president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), followed by his senior role in the Cabinet, his tenure as the Vice-President of the country, and later as the Speaker of the Rajya Sabha. “One can imagine the wealth of experience a person hailing from a small village may have gathered while holding such significant posts. Even I learned a lot from Venkaiah ji”, he added.

Mr Modi said the life of Venkaiah Naidu ji is a perfect glimpse of the amalgamation of ideas, vision and personality. He expressed happiness about the current state of BJP and Jana Sangh in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana as compared to how it was decades ago without any strong foundation. He said, “Despite such lacunae, Mr Naidu strived in his role as an ABVP Karyakarta with the ideology of “Nation First” and had made up his mind to achieve something for the nation.”

The PM lauded Mr Naidu for his fighting tooth and nail against the Emergency, which was imposed 50 years ago in the nation, despite being imprisoned for about 17 months. He also underlined that Mr Naidu was one such braveheart who was tried and tested during the wrath of Emergency and that is the reason he considers the latter as a true friend.

Underling that power does not reflect the comforts of life but is the medium to accomplish the resolutions by service, the PM said that Mr Naidu proved himself when he got the opportunity to become a part of the Vajpayee Government where he chose to become the Union Minister for Rural Development. “Naidu ji wanted to serve the villages, the poor and the farmers,” he added. He further added that Mr Naidu worked as a Union Minister for Urban Development in the Modi Government and lauded his commitment and vision for modern Indian cities. He mentioned Swachh Bharat Mission, Smart City Mission and Amrit Yojna initiated by Mr Naidu.