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Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh IT and education minister Nara Lokesh launched a two-day election campaign in Bihar on Saturday, voicing strong support for the NDA and highlighting how “strengthened states form the foundation of India’s progress.”Speaking at an interaction with the Bihar Industries Association in Patna, Lokesh praised the development and governance model of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, crediting them for Bihar’s growth in law and order, infrastructure, and corruption-free administration.Drawing parallels between Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, Lokesh said, “The double-engine bullet government in Andhra Pradesh, led by Prime Minister Modi and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, is driving rapid industrial growth and attracting major investments.”He noted that Andhra Pradesh has secured some of India’s largest foreign direct investments, including Google’s data centre and ArcelorMittal’s steel plant, following Chief Minister Naidu’s coordination with the Centre. “Our goal is to make Andhra Pradesh a trillion-dollar economy guided by Vision 2047,” he said.Lokesh blamed the previous state government’s policy reversals—such as the cancellation of power purchase agreements—for damaging investor confidence, stressing that policy continuity and stable leadership are crucial for economic growth.He added that the NDA’s performance earned 94 per cent of Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh, reflecting strong public trust. Employment generation, he said, remains the government’s top priority, with the upcoming Partnership Summit in Visakhapatnam expected to attract new investments.Later, addressing the Bihar chamber of commerce, Lokesh said he came “as an Indian citizen, not merely a minister from Andhra Pradesh,” urging voters to re-elect the NDA for continued development. “Andhra Pradesh believes in ‘One Family, One Entrepreneur,’ while the Opposition’s ‘one government job per home’ promise is unrealistic,” he remarked, predicting another NDA victory in Bihar.
