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Former Union Minister S M Krishna with his wife Prema Krishna on his 83rd birthday celebrations at his residence in Bengaluru on Friday. dh Photo
Former union minister S M Krishna on Friday described Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu as a ‘wonderful dreamer’ and an equally competent man.Krishna, the former chief minister of Karnataka, said this while interacting with the media at a high tea he hosted in Bengaluru on Friday, on his 83rd birthday.
Without drawing any parallel between Naidu and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Krishna said: “On Thursday I had visited Tirupati. Naidu is trying to make Amaravathi the capital. When you see the pace of development, investors are bound to look towards Andhra Pradesh. If investors have to come to Karnataka, basic infrastructure facilities should improve. Industries which should have come here have already drifted to Andhra Pradesh. When you see infrastructure here, it is but natural for investors to prefer Andhra Pradesh.”
Replying to a host of questions, Krishna said the Anna Bhagya, Kshreera Bhagya, Arogya Bhagya and other schemes of the State are continuation of ‘Garibi Hatao’ programme of late prime minister Indira Gandhi. Schemes meant for the welfare of poor would take many years to yield results. “There was opposition for the mid-day meal scheme when I launched it. But now the scheme is followed across the country. Same is the case with Yeshaswini scheme launched by me,” he pointed out.
Asked whether he would like to get back to active politics in the State, Krishna said only time would reflect that. “I am observing the style of functioning of the present State government. Each CM has his own style of working and it is not correct to make comparisons. When the government is on the threshold of completing two years, it is essential to conduct internal and public evaluation,” he suggested.
Rahul ready
Replying to a question on Rahul Gandhi, Krishna said his experience in politics was equivalent to the age of Rahul. He felt Rahul was capable of taking on the party’s mantle.
When a reporter pointed out that the UPA 2 did not represent India at the global level, the former external affairs minister asked him: “Then how India got a membership (as a non-permanent member of the security council) in the UN?”
He also said External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has not been able to effectively manage her portfolio. She had visited a couple of countries which did not yield the desired results. “We do not know whether she is functioning as minister. This is the reason why Prime Minister Modi is going on frequent foreign tours,” he said.
Replying to questions as to how he was spending time, he said he was writing a book on his 52 years of public life. About 50 pc of the work has been completed and it would be published both in Kannada and English. At present he was reading books on John F Kennedy and Churchill, he added.
Without drawing any parallel between Naidu and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Krishna said: “On Thursday I had visited Tirupati. Naidu is trying to make Amaravathi the capital. When you see the pace of development, investors are bound to look towards Andhra Pradesh. If investors have to come to Karnataka, basic infrastructure facilities should improve. Industries which should have come here have already drifted to Andhra Pradesh. When you see infrastructure here, it is but natural for investors to prefer Andhra Pradesh.”
Replying to a host of questions, Krishna said the Anna Bhagya, Kshreera Bhagya, Arogya Bhagya and other schemes of the State are continuation of ‘Garibi Hatao’ programme of late prime minister Indira Gandhi. Schemes meant for the welfare of poor would take many years to yield results. “There was opposition for the mid-day meal scheme when I launched it. But now the scheme is followed across the country. Same is the case with Yeshaswini scheme launched by me,” he pointed out.
Asked whether he would like to get back to active politics in the State, Krishna said only time would reflect that. “I am observing the style of functioning of the present State government. Each CM has his own style of working and it is not correct to make comparisons. When the government is on the threshold of completing two years, it is essential to conduct internal and public evaluation,” he suggested.
Rahul ready
Replying to a question on Rahul Gandhi, Krishna said his experience in politics was equivalent to the age of Rahul. He felt Rahul was capable of taking on the party’s mantle.
When a reporter pointed out that the UPA 2 did not represent India at the global level, the former external affairs minister asked him: “Then how India got a membership (as a non-permanent member of the security council) in the UN?”
He also said External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has not been able to effectively manage her portfolio. She had visited a couple of countries which did not yield the desired results. “We do not know whether she is functioning as minister. This is the reason why Prime Minister Modi is going on frequent foreign tours,” he said.
Replying to questions as to how he was spending time, he said he was writing a book on his 52 years of public life. About 50 pc of the work has been completed and it would be published both in Kannada and English. At present he was reading books on John F Kennedy and Churchill, he added.
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