Nara Lokesh (centre).
Credit: Special arrangement
Hyderabad: Andhra IT minister Nara Lokesh said that India’s progress is possible only when every state grows stronger. As part of his election campaign in support of NDA, Lokesh on Saturday interacted with representatives of the Bihar Industries Association and also Bihar Chamber of Commerce in Patna.
Lokesh, general secretary of TDP and a key NDA ally, campaigned in Patna on behalf of the NDA on Saturday and Sunday.
“The people of India chose the right leader at the right time as their Prime Minister. Because of that decision, the country has witnessed unprecedented development over the past decade. Bihar, too, has seen remarkable transformation before and after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s leadership. Development is possible only under an efficient, corruption-free government that ensures safety, law and order, and women’s security. Andhra Pradesh and Bihar share similarities in maintaining healthy relations with the Centre,” said Lokesh.
He added that Andhra Pradesh is progressing at a rapid pace because of the “double-engine bullet government.” Despite being a smaller state, it has attracted massive investments due to the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
“The flow of major foreign direct investment (FDI) into Andhra Pradesh was possible thanks to the cooperation of Prime Minister Modi, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and Railways and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. With the improved ‘speed of doing business,’ positive leadership, and reforms in taxation, Andhra Pradesh managed to bring Google within just 12 months. Similarly, ArcelorMittal is setting up the country’s largest steel plant in our state. When they initially raised three major concerns, they were resolved immediately following a brief discussion between the Chief Minister and the Prime Minister,” Lokesh said.
“Our goal is to make Andhra Pradesh a trillion-dollar economy. For that purpose, our Chief Minister has drafted the Vision 2047 document outlining key development objectives. The previous government’s decision to cancel power purchase agreements (PPAs) made our task of regaining investor confidence ten times harder. For rapid growth, both strong leadership and policy continuity are essential. States like Gujarat and Odisha have demonstrated what long-term governance stability can achieve. In the last elections, the people of Andhra Pradesh placed their deep trust in us, giving us a 94 percent victory rate. Our top priority now is creating employment opportunities for youth, and we are working day and night toward that goal,” he said.
Lokesh further announced that a prestigious Partnership Summit will soon be held in Visakhapatnam. The meeting in Patna was attended by Bihar Industries Association leaders, former MP GVL Narasimha Rao, members of Parliament, and leading industrialists from Bihar.
During his address at the Bihar Chamber of Commerce meeting in Patna, Lokesh said, “This is my first visit to Bihar not as a minister from Andhra Pradesh but as an Indian citizen. I have great faith in the leadership of Prime Minister Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. I came here to appeal to the people of Bihar to ensure a victory for the NDA government. The people of Andhra Pradesh re-elected the NDA with a 94 percent strike rate, leading to rapid growth in our state. I wish to see the same success here in Bihar.”
“As a partner in the NDA and a citizen of this nation, it is my responsibility to contribute. In Andhra Pradesh, we are pursuing the goal of ‘One Family, One Entrepreneur.’ Meanwhile, the opposition talks about giving one government job per household, is simply impractical. I am confident that the NDA will once again emerge victorious in Bihar,” Lokesh said.