Three years to the day, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu stood before his memories and counted every one of them — the midnight knock in Nandyal, the 53 days behind the walls of Rajahmundry Central Jail, and the roar of a people who refused to let him disappear. On Saturday, 31 October 2026, he marked the third anniversary of his court-ordered release with a deeply personal message on X, directed not at his adversaries but at the millions who stood with him when the state machinery, he says, tried to break him.

The arrest that Naidu calls a conspiracy

In September 2023, the Andhra Pradesh CID arrested Naidu without prior notice at Nandyal — a midnight operation he describes as akrama nirbandham (unlawful detention). The case alleged irregularities in a skill-development programme run during his earlier tenure as Chief Minister. Naidu has consistently rejected the charges as politically motivated, framing the then-ruling government's move as a bid to silence the principal opposition voice in the state.

Writing now, as a Chief Minister himself, he calls those 53 days 'the most difficult of my four-and-a-half-decade political life.' The weight of that sentence lands harder knowing he spent the years before and after fighting for — and then reclaiming — the office he holds today.

Gachibowli, and the solidarity that crossed continents

The post's most vivid passage is reserved for the people. Naidu describes how youth, software professionals and corporate executives converged on Gachibowli Stadium in Hyderabad for the 'CBN Gratitude' programme — a spontaneous show of solidarity while he remained in custody. He writes that what moved him most was not party workers reporting for duty, but citizens who had 'always stayed away from politics' choosing, that one time, to walk out onto the street.

The solidarity was not confined to Andhra Pradesh or even India. Naidu notes that Telugu-speaking communities and democracy advocates in more than 60 countries publicly expressed support, staging protests against what he characterises as a conspiratorial arrest. 'From ordinary village women to global corporate CEOs, from farmers to software engineers, from students to the Telugu diaspora,' he writes — every section of society, he insists, responded.

A family that stepped out of the wings

One line in the post breaks from political register entirely. Naidu acknowledges that his wife — whom he describes as someone who 'has always kept her distance from politics' — joined the public campaign alongside his family members, appealing for truth to prevail. 'Nijam gelavaali' — 'Let the truth win' — was the message she carried to supporters. For a leader whose persona is built on spreadsheets and governance metrics, the public surfacing of that private support clearly carries lasting significance.

From gratitude to a pledge for 2047

Naidu closes not with grievance but with a vow. He reiterates his goal of making the Telugu people 'Number 1 by 2047' — a reference to the centenary of Indian independence — with the solidarity shown during his detention as the foundation for that ambition. 'Your trust and affection are my strength. Your future is my resolve,' he writes, addressing supporters directly.

Three years on from the day a court order opened those jail gates, Chandrababu Naidu is back in power, back at his desk, and making sure no one forgets either half of that sentence.