That was the time in 2002 when TDP was the major coalition partner of NDA. It was also the time, when BJP’s image was badly battered by the communal clashes in Gujarat. Chandrababu Naidu came up with this idea of making APJ Abdul Kalam as the President of India.
Kalam will serve both the purposes of an intellectual and damage control. It was Naidu who convinced all the partners of NDA to arrive at consensus over Kalam’s candidature. Later Congress also supported Kalam but Left put up a candidate against him.
In fact, it was Naidu who reached to Kalam. He mentioned to him that the Prime Minister will call him on an important issue and asked him not to say NO. Later Vajpayee, the then Prime Minister conveyed the news and got the approval from Kalam. This was mentioned in Kalam’s Auto Biography, The Wings of Fire.
