Venkaiah Naidu: Never wanted to become VP, wanted to follow Deshmukh

Venkaiah Naidu never wanted to become Vice President

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday said that he wanted to take up constructive work and follow the footsteps of the social activist and Bharatiya Jana Sangh leader, late Nanaji Deshmukh. He also said that he never wanted to become the Vice President.

He also recalled the reason why he was in tears when he was named for the post of the Vice President and said that it was because he would not be able to visit the BJP office or talk to the party workers. He said that the party gave him everything except for the post of a Prime Minister, although he came from a humble background. He also felt that he was not suitable for the post either.

"My dear friends I must tell you the truth...I never wanted to become VP...," he said at the launch of a book on his two-year term in office titled "Listening, Learning & Leading."

The Vice President said that he had expressed his interest to the Prime Minister that he wanted to quit the government in his second term and follow Nanaji Deshmukh. "I was planning on that ground...I was enjoying that I will be doing that... But this did not happen," Naidu said.

He also stated that he even suggested some names for the VP post. "After a party parliamentary board meeting, Amit Bhai (the then BJP President) said everyone in the party thought I will be the most suitable man. I never expected that. I was in tears, not because I was losing the ministership, which I anyway was going to leave."

(with inputs from PTI)

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Edited by mid-day online desk with inputs from Agencies