Former Union Finance Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg, who served as an advisor on resource mobilization to former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy until 2024, has described the present Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu as a strong lobbyist who goes to great lengths to secure central funds for his state.

In his biography, “No Minister: Navigating Power, Politics and Bureaucracy with a Steely Resolve,” Garg offers a candid account of his interactions with political leaders, including a striking portrayal of Naidu.

Garg, who served as Union Finance Secretary during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, called Naidu a “relentlessly persuasive administrator.”

He recalled that during the Vajpayee era, Naidu would “virtually drain the blood of the Finance Ministry” to obtain

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