In stark contrast to his and his party’s sharp attacks on the Narendra Modi government since 2018, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) Guntur MP Galla Jayadev on Monday showered praises on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his “stewardship” in taking the country to new heights.

In what he termed as his last speech in the Lok Sabha as he had announced a break from politics last week, the TDP floor leader said the consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya by Modi had “redefined and rediscovered our civilisation”. Jayadev, however, alleged that he was harassed as a businessman for “having an opinion that differed from the ruling party”. The MP, while announcing his break, had said “tough situations created by the state and central governments had made it difficult for him to sustain politically”.

“I compliment PM Modi ji for finally consecrating the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. The entire country is greatly indebted to him. I plan to visit the temple one day as it realises the 500-year-old dream of the Hindus. The world knows us as an ancient civilization, but I must say that the stones may be old but they have been chiselled afresh. Our civilization is born again. January 22 has redefined and rediscovered our civilization,” he said.

During the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address, acknowledged some of the achievements of GoI in the last decade under the stewardship of our Hon PM, Shri Modi ji.

India is poised to become the 3rd largest global economy. We are the fastest-growing among G20 nations. More… pic.twitter.com/eBtkN2sml1

— Jay Galla (@JayGalla) February 5, 2024

The two-time MP’s praise for the PM comes after scathing attacks that he had launched against him in 2018, when the TDP’s relations with the NDA were sour, over the Centre’s “flawed policies” and had termed Modi’s tenure as a “saga of empty promises”.

Jayadev also said the new Parliament was imbued with the sense of “ek Bharat, shreshtha Bharat (One India, best India)” and was a testimony to the country’s great civilisational culture.

The Guntur MP said he could not resist the temptation to praise Modi even though his party was not a part of the NDA. “We are on the verge of becoming the world’s third largest economy. It is not just governance, it is the leadership that counts,” he said. The TDP had walked out of the ruling alliance in March 2018 accusing the Centre of giving a raw deal to Andhra Pradesh during its bifurcation.

Interestingly, the MP’s praise comes amid reports that the TDP is keen to return to the NDA fold and a day after his party chief N Chandrababu Naidu finalised seat-sharing with Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena Party in Andhra Pradesh citing delay on the BJP’s part to take a decision on joining their alliance.

The MP also went on to list the top 10 achievements of the Modi government. “He (Modi) has made our country the fastest growing economy among G20 countries. About 25% people have been pulled out of poverty and 80% are being given free food. The credit for rolling out the Goods and Services Tax (GST) goes to Modiji. Today, Forex reserves are worth $615 billion. The push on Digital India… 46% of all digital transactions in the world take place in India. A total of Rs 34 lakh crore has been transferred through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) and has helped curb corruption…,” Jayadev said.

Before expressing concerns over the delayed payments for the Polavaram project and Special Category Status for Andhra Pradesh, Jayadev heaped praises on the Centre for construction of roads and national highways, number of airports, various schemes, 33% reservation for women in Parliament and the “successful” response to the coronavirus pandemic. However, he also raised the issue of unemployment and cautioned the government of threats from AI, which he said may impact jobs in the services sector.

Reiterating that he was taking a break from politics, the Guntur MP said he could not sail in two boats (politics and business) at the same time due to various limitations. “I feel businessmen are an important part of the political process as they play a pivotal role in driving the economy and its growth. They should have the freedom to express themselves and take a stand against the government of the day when necessary, without fear of reprisals and attacks on their business. Parliament should ensure that law-abiding businesses are not exposed to harassment even if they don’t share the same political views. If we look at the affidavits of members, about 20% are businessmen. I am sure all of them have faced the same problems that I have faced over the last 10 years,” he said.

Jayadev, who is the managing director of the Rs 5,300 crore Amara Raja Group, said businessmen are encouraged to be a part of the political administration in the developed world as they can play an important role in helping people shape their economic destinies. “Unfortunately, in our country this means constant fear of reprisals and vendetta. To start and run a business, one has to get at least 70 approvals from various agencies and each of them can be weaponized by the party in power. This is detrimental to the Make-in-India program, the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative and defeats the purpose of ease of doing business,” he said and added that he would return like “Shri Ram did from vanavaas” when the time was right.

The Guntur MP comes from a political family and is the son of four-time former Chandragiri MLA and Andhra Pradesh minister Galla Aruna Kumari. Educated in the US, he lived there for 22 years before returning to India and assuming charge as the managing director of the Amara Raja Group.