One of the best-known leaders from South, Venkaiah Naidu gets Padma Vibhushan

Hyderabad, Jan 26: Former Vice President of India, Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu, who is one of recipients this year's prestigious Padma Vibhushan award announced on the eve of Republic Day on Thursday, is one of the best-known leaders from South India.

Hailing from Andhra Pradesh, the 74-year-old has been conferred with one of the highest civilian awards for exceptional and distinguished service in public affairs.

Naidu, who held the post of Vice President from 2017 to 2022, continues to serve people through the Swarna Bharat Trust.

Even though the BJP was on a weak wicket in southern India, Naidu embraced it tightly. A quick-witted and effective communicator steeped in RSS-BJP ideology, Naidu rose from the ranks to become the party President and a Union minister to finally be India's Vice President.

Hailing from Nellore district in south coastal Andhra, Naidu was associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) from an early age. He was also a student leader and later championed the cause of farmers.

Born on July 1, 1949 in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh, Naidu was the President of the students union in V.R. College, Nellore. In 1973-74, he was president of the Students Union of Andhra University Colleges.

Naidu pursued law and was involved in the movement launched by Jayaprakash Narayan. He had formed the Loknayak Jai Prakash Chhatra Sangharsha Samithi in 1974.

He was President of the youth wing of the Janata Party in Andhra Pradesh from 1977 to 1980.

Naidu was jailed during the Emergency (1975-77). He remained underground until his arrest, distributing anti-government literature in educational institutions in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. He was accused of disturbing a meeting of Sanjay Gandhi and was handcuffed during transit from one jail to the other.

When the Janata Party was formed on the eve of the 1977 general elections, he became the state President of the Janata Yuva Morcha.

Contesting his maiden election as a Janata Party candidate, he was elected to the state Assembly in 1978 from Udayagiri in Nellore district.

After a three-year stint, he joined the BJP in 1980. Naidu was re-elected to the state Assembly in 1983 and was the floor leader of the three-member BJP group in the House from 1980-85.

He also became Vice President of BJP’s youth wing. He was leader of the BJP Legislature Party in Andhra Pradesh, state general secretary and state unit chief.

Naidu hit the national scene in early 1980s when he was one of the prominent opposition spokespersons during the campaign by N.T. Rama Rao after his dismissal as the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister by Indira Gandhi.

Naidu was the BJP General Secretary in 1993-2000 and its spokesperson in between.

Though he later emerged as a BJP leader at the national level and served as the party's general secretary and its spokesman, he could not get elected to the Lok Sabha. He contested thrice but was unsuccessful.

He also handled key organisational assignments in the BJP and became its President in 2002.

Naidu had three continuous terms in the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka from 1998 to 2016, when he shifted to Rajasthan to get a fourth term. He was Rural Development Minister during the first NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, his inspiration along with senior party leader L.K. Advani.

With Narendra Modi scripting BJP's success in 2014, Naidu described him as the most popular Indian leader, the most credible political personality and among the top 10 leaders of the world. He is credited with coining the acronym MODI - Making of Developed India, a BJP favourite.

Naidu was the Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Urban Development and Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation in the Modi government before he was nominated for the Vice President's post. He was also the Parliamentary Affairs Minister for the first two years in the Modi government.