PV Narasimha Rao was not a dynast and had risen to the top with sheer hard work. Today we are growing economically, all due to the effort of him
When Rajiv Gandhi suddenly died in a terror attack, in midst of electioneering Campaign of 1991 General election. With Congress likely to make a comeback, the question asked was, who will be crowned as Prime Minister thereafter. PV Narasimha Rao turned the dark horse and was the right choice, for his ability to take others along with vast experience in Administration & Governance. In 1991 PV Narasimha Rao had almost decided to retire from politics and did not contest Lok Sabha election. After becoming PM won a by-election from Andhra Pradesh with a record margin of over 5 lakh votes. There was an attempt made by few camps within Congress to sideline him, which eventually failed. Sharad Pawar manoeuvred rigorously for the PM chair. But was outsmarted by PV Narasimha Rao and he settled for a Cabinet Ministers post. In fact, Sharad Pawar kept his anger and revengeful behaviour towards those who opposed him. Sunil Dutt later faced Sharad Pawar brunt, who had openly supported PV Narasimha Rao as PM candidate.
Congress was coming back to power in 1991 after having lost the 1989 election. In 1984 Rajiv Gandhi after Indira Gandhi’s assassination had come to power with the highest mandate ever achieved by any leader in India. He got 419 MP seats with more than 50% national vote share. Regional party from Andhra Pradesh NTR’s Telugu Desam was second highest with 30 MPs. In fact, in 1984 PV Narasimha Rao contested from 2 Lok Sabha constituency, lost Election from Andhra Pradesh and won from Ramtek, Maharashtra. BJP in its new ‘Avtar’ which debuted in the 1984 elections for the first time just got 2 seats with likes of AB Vajpayee losing Lok Sabha election from Gwalior to Madhav Rao Scindia.
Rao’s achievement was to give India a stable government for 5 years, in spite of his party being in the minority. Brought in much-needed reforms with an open mind. Abolished the permit quota & licences raj. Created 1 window system for project clearance.
In 1984 candidate selection, Rajiv Gandhi kept the Congress candidates list top secret and revealed it at the last moment, creating confusion and chaos in the opposition camp. Even Amitabh Bachchans‘ name for candidature from Allahabad was announced which came as a big surprise. Madhav Rao Scindia name from Gwalior also was announced at very last moment before the filing of nomination.
After big hope from Rajiv Gandhi, it was disappointed all the way. From Defence Bofors scam corruption charges, Sri Lanka failure, LTTE, Muslim appeasement and the list was running long. He was finally ousted in 1989 election. Even though the short Opposition experiment did not last long with 2 Govt in 2 yrs period.
After Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination by LTTE in May 1991, the Congress came to power first time as a minority government. PV Narasimha Rao the senior Congress leader was chosen as PM. PV Narasimha Rao inherited great challenge with India which was on verge of Economic crises, Social Society clashes, Terrorism in Punjab, J&K & LTTE anti-India activity in Tamil Nadu. We were on the verge of defaulting on International payment and staring at bankruptcy. Our foreign currency reserves were practically nil, India had to pledge gold to pay for its Oil import from International Market.
The caste equation after VP Singh idea to pop up Mandal had divided the society. With violent clashes reported across the country, by those in support opposing the move. The Khalistan issue in Punjab was disturbing. Kashmir was infiltrated with Jihadi elements and an exodus of Kashmiri pandits disheartening. Tamil Nadu under DMK up to 1991 was encouraging LTTE, who had rogue elements damaging the basic Tamil society.
Under the instruction of Sonia Gandhi – Antonio Maino then Congress party President, didn’t even allow his dead body to be brought into Congress Party office in Delhi. Was even denied permanent burial funeral place in Delhi.
PV Narasimha Rao taking over the PM Baton at such crucial juncture was a challenging endeavour. He was not a dynast and had risen to the top with sheer hard work. He was a highly qualified knowledgeable, Sanskrit scholar and knew 16 languages. His achievement was to give India a stable government for 5 years, in spite of his party being in the minority. Brought in much-needed reforms with an open mind. Abolished the permit quota & licences raj. Created 1 window system for project clearance.
Thus the Indian economy opened up and unleashed power of liberalisation. He was willing to involve his adversaries and got many from the opposition on to his fold. Gave a responsibility-free hand to those who wanted to perform. Manmohan Singh was given the power, status and shown the path to take. Today we are growing economically, all due to the effort of PV Narasimha Rao. That is his big achievement and the story continues even today. He overtook snail pace of past government and showed we can grow @ 8% and above.
Under the leadership of Former PM #PVNarasimhaRao & the then Finance Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, India unleashed an era of reforms to take our economy & society to new heights. Ever since, we’ve seen a booming growth in terms of GDP as well as in the living standards of people. pic.twitter.com/ZsMrxY3Ary
— Congress (@INCIndia) July 24, 2020
In Punjab, he gave local leaders and the CM importance. The police force was given full power free hand to deal with terrorism. In a short time, normalcy started returning to Punjab. With Stock markets scam he had to take a few drastic steps, he allowed foreign investors, brought in National Stock Exchange, introduced SEBI to monitor regulate stock markets. Had to open FDI in 35 types of sectors. The FDI flow into India grew from $132 million in 1991 to $5.3 billion at the end of his 5-year tenure.
It was his planning which prepared India’s nuclear strategy. Gave our scientist free hand to explore nuclear capability in defence and energy purpose. Later on, the government was benefited out of his base groundwork. The shortest description to his stand on Ram Janmabhoomi dispute case will be, he was true Shri Ram Bhakt.
After losing his power, he lived in isolation. Was totally ignored disowned dishonoured by Congress on behest of Sonia Gandhi & family. He had to personally fight his cases filed against him when was in power without anyone nor Congress party supporting him.
Even when he died, under the instruction of Sonia Gandhi – Antonio Maino then Congress party President, didn’t even allow his dead body to be brought into Congress Party office in Delhi. Was even denied permanent burial funeral place in Delhi. The Rao’s family had to shift his body to Hyderabad for the last rite cremation. His one-time protege Manmohan Singh was PM then, he also went mute to this shoddy ill-treatment to great ex-PM. Sonia Gandhi and Congress party once again demonstrated the way they treat great leader’s personalities, Nationalists. Earlier it was Lal Bahadur Shastri and later PV Narasimha Rao.
When Pranab Mukherjee was bestowed Bharat Ratna by Modi Government, we all welcomed it. It must have been also PV Narasimha Rao along to get the award. Truly deserve the highest honour.
Hope the future government, leaders consider him truly worthy for the award. Dr Subramanian Swamy being in opposition was bestowed Cabinet rank and closely worked with PV Narasimha Rao during his PM tenure with his Economic Blue-Print for market reforms. Dr Swamy is vocal in demanding Bharat Ratna for PV Narasimha Rao and recently Telangana Cheif Minister Kalvakuntla Chandrashekhar Rao also joined in demanding due honour for Rao.
On his recent 99 birth anniversary and grand centenary celebrations being planned in Telangana 2020-2021 to remembering his tremendous contribution to reviving our economy and laying the foundation of growth. Congress after gauging ground reality support for PV Narasimha Rao have softened their stand and may join the centenary celebration. PV Narasimha Rao should be Respected, Celebrated and Honoured with the highest honour award Bharat Ratna very soon.
Note:
1. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of PGurus.
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Former PM Late PVN Rao was a scholar and a good friend of BJP’s top brass. He completed his tenure using various methods and in many ways and handed over the baton to BJP as agreed upon for sustaining him for full five years!!
Former PM Late PVN Rao, took help from one and all including Dr.S.Swamy without batting an eye lid unlike arrogant (I know all) PM Modi and HM Shah.
Former PM Late PVN Rao knows individual potential, talent, strength and weakness in others and used it to benefit one and all and did a good thing by initiating economic reforms abolishing license permit raj . But his name never referred in debates and credit is given only to former PM MMS! MMS cheated former PM Late PVN Rao at the time of his death glued to his PM-ship and became a sphinx. MMS does not have gratitude and did not show interest in allotting six-foot by three-foot land area to perform last rites.
Achievements and good and bad things were already listed by Pgurus esteemed subscribes.
I would like to add one thing, during former PM Late PVN Rao tenure he allowed import of cow dung from Denmark!! SG/RG et al should not blame BJP/ Gou raksahks on Gou mutra and Gov dung anymore!!!
Further Italian brands flooded the market post Quottrochi- Snamprogetti, now only to be replaced by everything China which zoomed 500% increase in commerce and trade under this present incumbent majboot sarkar!! In the melee former PM AB Vajpayess reforms were forgotten! Followed by massive scams with huge NPAs of UPA1&2 except few buried by present incumbent majboot sarkar and economy is performing on a negative 9% growth scale.
Our country is proud to have late PM LB Sastry, PVN Rao and AB Vajpayee. Curse is on PM Modi who is becoming a worst PM country has ever seen as far as the ruined Economy is concerned.
Bharata Ratna should be abolished and retain Param Veer Chakra only.
Sri P V Narasimha Rao was an astute politician. He was besetted with so many unresolved problems Mandal, J&K, Punjab terrorism, almost collapsed Indian Economy and this was NOT enough, his party was running a minority Govt at the Centre, with Antonia Maino’s pinpricks. It was his political maturity and sagacity, he used BJP, to stand by him in ushering in Economic liberalisation in June 1991 and he used Communist & various other political Dalaal varieties to retain majority, when BJP exhorted pressure on Ram Mandir issue and he cleverly manvoured and ensured the demolition of Babari structure by BJP and put the political cost on BJP, by dismissing the BJP ruled States of Rajasthan, MP and UP Govt citing failure of law and order situation. Law and order was worst in Mumbai/Maharashtra then under Sudhakar Rao Naik, he made another master stroke, by sending the then Defence Minister Sharad Pawar to Maharashtra as CM and made the then Mah CM Sudharkar Rao Naik as Governor of Himachal Pradesh. Among his colleagures, he was very much concerned and vary of Machiavelli notorious politician Sharad Pawar, who was breathing down his neck, biding for opportune moment to snatch PM post from PVN. He ensured his potential political rivals in Cong and BJP are entangled in corruption related cases close to end of 1995 vi. ND Tiwari, Arjun Singh, Madhava Rao Scindia, including BJP Patriarch L K Advani in Jain Hawala Diary Case, so that he can come back to power for another 5 years, which he narrowly missed by wrongly allying with corrupt Jayalalitha’s AIADMK in Tamil Nadu. At that time M Karunanidhi’s DMK was willing to contest LS Election in TN in alliance with Rao Congi. Had he aligned with DMK in TN, he would have come back as PM again and our Country’s fate would have been better now. He handled political rowdies like Mulayam Yadav, Lalu Prasad Yadav, Kanshi Ram, Mayavati by turn as an artful Majician / Ring Master in a Circus, as and when needed to achieve his political objectives.
All said and done, it is very difficult to rule a Country like India with vast area, diverse cultures, caste and creed animosities, religious strifes happening very often and Shri PVN handled the situation deftly in a surcharged & volatile situation. We have not shown our due gratitude to the fallen HERO – Shri PVN. By conferring Bharat Ratna on Shri PVN, the value of Bharat Ratna award will get enhanced.
Today we are growing economically, all due to the effort of him!!!!
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Can the Author take some time & effort to explain how our ECONOMIC GROWTH TODAY is linked to RAO’s EFFORT IN 1990s?
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Mass Suicides of Farmers began from 1993-94 due to the genius Economic Vision of the two so called Economic wizards called – Manmohan & Narasimha Rao.
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Stock Markets, GDP, BOP, FE Reserves & such other jargon matter to hardly 1% of Indians
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The same Bench Mark used to judge the Economy of other Nations like US can’t be used to determine the Indian Economy.
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Rao was clever enough to insulate himself from the evil effects the Italian Mafia Mata while he was PM. But that does not make him a Sage or a Mahatma. Rao & Manmohan were just Indian Versions of the Italian Mafia Mata.
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Can anybody deny Rao siphoned off the entire 150+ crores by fraudulently paying a fake Turkish Company for Urea which they never delivered?
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Can anyone deny Rao & Rajiv Gandhi were responsible for allowing the Mass Murderer Warren Anderson flee India after executing 15000 Indians in Gas Chamber in the name of Accident?
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Can the Author explain how can we claim a ‘Country is flourishing Economically’ when ‘hundreds of Farmers are committing suicides on a daily basis’.
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These two wizards opened up the Economy to allow entry of Pepsi, McDonald, Wafers & other useless & toxic products to flood our Nation putting a lot of strain on our Fertile land, UG water table further pushing our Farmers to total calamity.
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What Rao & Manmohan brought was not LIBERALIZATION but RECOLONIZATION.
Can India with these imported & unwanted Technologies provide Jobs to all Indians???
Did Rao & Manmohan solve the ‘jobs issue’ & bring down the Unemployment??
What is the basis for claiming this DEVILISH DUO
PV is the best PM India ever had till date. Period.
A major point to be noted:-
Without any image and attempts to build-up image, Shri Pamulaparthi Venkata Narasimha Rao is one and the only Prime Minister to complete full term of 5 years, achieving magnificent economic and other people-centric results. He set an example to the future Prime Ministers that greater things can be achieved without noise and media hype using the same system.
He was treated very badly by the self appointed queen; Congress has no right to call him there leader