Hyderabad: Telugu Desam Party president N
Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday claimed he had twice got the
opportunity to become Prime Minister but turned them down.
"I got the opportunity to become Prime Minister of the
country on two occasions (in the 1990s) but I refused. My
focus is solely on Andhra Pradesh though we play an effective
role at the national level," Naidu told reporters here.
The former Chief Minister said he was not inclined for a
role in politics at the national level as "I may become Chief
Minister again".
"For me and TDP, Andhra Pradesh comes first. My
(political) experience should benefit the state and I may
become Chief Minister again", Naidu said adding national
politics was not new to the party.
He was reacting to CPI general secretary A B Bardhan?s
suggestion that he should now focus on politics at the
national level.
"TDP has always played a key role in national politics.
The National Front and later the United Front were formed
under our aegis and it was with TDP’s support that NDA
government under Atal Bihari Vajpayee had stayed in power for
over six years", he said adding "we had also been the largest
opposition party in Lok Sabha (in 1984)".
Naidu said development of Andhra Pradesh was paramount
for TDP in whichever role it played at the national level.
He claimed the state had made rapid strides during TDP
rule and "earned international glory under us but now nobody
talks about the state. That pains me immensely."
He alleged Andhra Pradesh faced a serious leadership
crisis now and the state?s future looked gloomy.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, February 21, 2012, 20:44