ALWAYS STAY FOCUSED

M Rajesh -

“If you were to come to the people of Oman, they would have never insulted nor abused you.” One can find these words of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) displayed prominently at arrival lounge in Muscat International Airport.

“This aptly describes the warmth and love of Omanis to their guests, and what I found in this country on my short visit was true to the words,” said V V Lakshmi Narayana (popularly called JD), retired Additional Director General of Police in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.

He was on a short visit to the Sultanate as chief guest at a function organised jointly by Telugu Community and Chiru Mega Youth Force (CMYF) in Muscat.

Lakshmi Narayana, known for leading high-profile investigations in India, hails from Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh, and was brought up in Srisailam, Kurnool district. He did his Bachelor of Engineering from NIT Warangal, and did his MTech from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras. He was an Inspector General, Maharashtra cadre from the 1990 batch of Indian Police Service (IPS). He took voluntary retirement in 2018 and extensively toured all the 13 districts of Andhra Pradesh understanding prominent issues specially those of farmers, youth and women.

He is known for his ‘impact’ speeches and has interacted with more than 15 lakh youth so far. He was an active member of Lead India Foundation which was started with the blessings of former Indian President Dr A P J Abdul Kalam.

He chose Lead India as a medium to reach out to his target groups and has become a well-liked figure in the urban, educated middle-class. What helped him grab the imagination of this section is his focus on political corruption, probity in public life, accountability and transparency in administration.

Talking about youth and politics, the retired ‘super cop’ says the younger generation should always stay focused on their aims and goals. Youth should look at politics also as a career option. In this the mindset of parents need to change and liking for public service should start from early age.

“Most of the parents want their children to get best of the education and settle down in a good job. None of them think or consider politics as a career option. This attitude has to change… then only we can see better people entering politics to do public service.”

ZERO-BUDGET POLITICS

In this context he spoke of his entry into politics. He joined Jana Sena Party, led by film star Pawan Kalyan, in March, 2019, and contested for Parliament from Vizag. Though he lost, he said “he is there in politics to serve people. Winning or not winning doesn’t matter.” “I am here for public service… and since it’s a new field for me… its thrilling,” he adds. After his tour of all the districts in Andhra Pradesh, he has announced that issues of farmers, youth, women would be his areas of focus, and that ‘zero budget’ politics would be his primary agenda.

“We are trying to bring about change in political atmosphere, and our primary agenda is ‘zero budget’ politics. Anyone irrespective of money and muscle power should be able to contest and win elections to serve the motherland,” he said, adding “We have made a good beginning on this front… and we need to go a long way to realise our goals.”

Lakshmi Narayana, through his foundation — Join for Development Foundation (JD Foundation), has adopted villages which voluntarily prohibit alcohol. Following on these lines, he has adopted three villages, Chinnamandadi in Mahabubnagar district, Sahalalaputtuga in Srikakulam district and Seetharamapuram in Vizianagaram district.

He was awarded the Mahatma Gandhi Peace Prize by the Minority Commission of Maharashtra and was conferred President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Services in 2017.

Commenting on his visit to Oman, he said it’s a memorable one and would love to visit this beautiful country again!