The Hindu Business Line : Naidu's exit

This refers to the editorial "Exit Naidu'' (Business Line, May 12). Though the exit was predicted by many opinion and exit polls, such an `overwhelming defeat' was not expected even by the Congress.

The voters' strong protest over the neglect of the rural population is reflected in the verdict. There seems to be a strong demarcation between Mr Naidu's vision on good governance and the common man's perception of real governance over human problems.

The positive factors such as the press view of the administrative initiatives or the World Bank's remarkable references to the State's growth or the ``high profile visits of foreign dignitaries'' have been rejected by the voters who were faced with the grim problems of power, water and were under the firm grip of poverty and destitution. The suicides by farmers added to the fury.

Mr Chandrababu Naidu could not do anything to fight the real poverty in the State during his rule.

He could not reach the level of N. T. Rama Rao who made an effort to address the common man's problems and proved successful to a certain extent.

The party workers perhaps did not inform Mr Naidu of the problems in the rural parts of the State. He in turn, kept the entire nation in the dark, sending out the wrong signals of growth.

The new government should evaluate the entire pre-poll and post-poll scenario and address the aspirations of the people.

C. P. Velayudhan Nair,

Kochi

Letters to the editor and contributions can be sent by e-mail to: bleditor@thehindu.co.in