Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who had earlier triggered a controversy by calling upon the people of his State to produce more children, has hit the headlines for another wrong reason. He skipped an important official function as his ‘Pundits’ did not find the place ‘auspicious’ as per the Vastu Shastra.
Naidu, who was to be the chief guest at National Youth Science Congress to be held at Acharya Nagarjuna University, Guntur, skipped at the last minute. While official reason given was tiredness following a 18 kms long walk in West Godavari district to create awareness regarding Smart Village programme, sources said adding that Naidu was wary of attending any function at ANU.
They cite several occasions in the past when Naidu stayed away from programmes at the same venue. He had even got the programme of holding AP Assembly session at the University changed at the last minute. “A firm believer in Vastu, Naidu goes by the advice of the Pundits. They have warned him that the place was not auspicious and he should not attend any programme there,” a source said.
In fact, ANU was also suggested as a venue for his swearing in as the Chief Minister last year but he got it shifted to an open space across the road from the University. Other occasions when Naidu stayed away was Teacher’s Day programme in September which was later held at the Police Parade Ground. Another proposal to locate the temporary officer of the Chief Minister at ANU was also rejected on the ground of security and lack of space.
Naidu, who has left for Davos to attend World Economic Forum has also sparked an uproar by urging the people of his State to bear at least three children. He made the fervent plea on the ground that the population of the young people in the State was declining. He cited the statistics that every year the State was recording the equal number of deaths and births (900,000) leaving the population stagnant.
Naidu warned that the present trends of marrying late and bearing children late continues, the State will soon have more ageing people than the young. "like Japan we will also face socio-economic problems due lakc of youth population", he said. Naidu said that bearing one or two children was not good for the all round development of the State.