Call it a publicity stunt or genuine concern for the people, Telugu Desam Party president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had not returned home since the night of August 31, when heavy rains and floods hit Vijayawada and its surrounding areas.
Naidu finally returned to his residence in Undavalli on Tuesday night, only after the floodwaters receded from all parts of Vijayawada and the situation normalized.
During this period, he had been staying in his caravan, parked at the NTR District Collectorate premises in Vijayawada.
For the last 10 days, he effectively turned the collector's office into his temporary secretariat, where he continuously reviewed and monitored the flood situation with senior officials.
Naidu’s caravan became his home, where he managed to catch a few hours of sleep late at night, prepared early in the morning, and resumed his tours of the flood-affected areas using any available means of transport, including bulldozers and JCB excavators.
He often waded through knee-deep water to personally oversee relief and rescue operations.
Late into the night, he held press conferences from the field, receiving updates from officials and issuing instructions, while also managing to calm and address the concerns of angry flood victims.
The opposition YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), unsurprisingly, dismissed Naidu's efforts as theatrics and a publicity stunt amidst the flood crisis.
YSRCP president and former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy even claimed that Naidu hadn’t returned to his Undavalli residence because it was flooded with Krishna River water, leaving him no choice but to stay in the caravan.
Despite the criticism, Naidu demonstrated a unique leadership style during the crisis, proving that he is a different kind of chief minister.