Infosys Chairman Emeritus N. R. Narayana Murthy has made it clear that he was not in the race for President’s post.
Speaking as the chief guest at JNTUH III Convocation here on Monday, Narayana Murthy said that the decision of choosing best candidate should be left to leaders of political parties. He also said that leaders in various political leaders were competent enough to choose a right candidate for the highest post in the country.
He said that a recently published OECD report noted that India has created the maximum number of jobs among the emerging economies. Portfolio investments and foreign direct investments into India were healthy despite some concern among foreign investors. According to the Forbes Magazine, India has the highest number of billionaires in Asia.
Narayana Murthy said that they have another India steeped in deep poverty, illiteracy, ill-health and malnutrition and without hope and confidence in the future, for no fault of them. Lamenting that India has the largest mass of illiterates in the world, he said some 350 million Indians cannot read and write and over 200 million Indians do not have access to safe drinking water. About 750 millions do not have access to sanitation facilities. He remarked that they have created a political system with incentives for most of their politicians to keep their people poor, illiterate and helpless.
Narayana Murthy said that maintaining idealism, confidence, hope, energy and enthusiasm of every Indian was mandatory if they have to make good on the dreams of the founders of the nation. He urged the youth to dispel the darkness around them and make a better country for every one of them—the urban and the rural, the rich and the poor, and the educated and the not-so-well- educated. (NSS)