Former PM PV Narasimha Rao's centenary year to be celebrated in befitting manner: Telangana Congress president

HYDERABAD: Terming former Prime Minister Late

PV Narasimha Rao

a visionary who put India on the path of prosperity and self-reliance through his bold economic reforms, Telangana Congress president and Nalgonda MP

N Uttam Kumar Reddy

has announced that the Congress would celebrate his centenary year in a befitting manner.


Uttam and other senior party leaders paid rich tributes to Narasimha Rao on his 99th birth anniversary, in

Gandhi Bhavan

on Sunday. The TPCC chief also sought to ask TRS leaders to explain their new-found love for PVN Rao and clarify how many times they visited

PV Gnana Bhoomi

to pay tributes to the former PM.

Uttam said that AICC president Sonia Gandhi has directed the party to organise Narasimha Rao's birth centenary year on a grand scale. Therefore, a committee would be constituted to conduct various programmes as part of year-long centenary celebrations. Family members of PVN Rao would be invited to all the programmes.

It was PVN Rao who picked up Manmohan Singh, an economist and former RBI Governor (who later became PM), as the finance minister at a time when the country was witnessing an unprecedented economic slowdown. The Narasimha Rao-Manmohan Singh duo brought revolutionary economic reforms and introduced liberalisation in a highly effective manner which brought prosperity and growth in all sectors in India, Uttam said.

Reiterating the demand for Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award, for PVN Rao, Uttam said the erstwhile undivided Andhra Pradesh Assembly had passed a resolution in this regard. He announced that he would again raise this issue in the Parliament.

Recalling his association with Narasimha Rao, Uttam said the former PM was his 'guru' (master) as he learned a lot of things from him. "I used to have a lot of interactions with Narasimha Rao Ji on different issues while I was working in Rashtrapati Bhavan. He used to like me and I accompanied him on many foreign tours. I'm a great admirer of Narasimha Rao Ji," he said.

Uttam said PVN Rao would be remembered for various landmark decisions including introduction of the Land Ceiling Act which empowered the government to take excess land from the landlords and distribute it among the poor. PVN Rao himself donated over 500 acres of land inherited by him. PVN Rao was a journalist, a lawyer and had command over many Indian and foreign languages.

"He applied all his knowledge and wisdom to serve the people in the best possible manner. As the then Education Minister, between 1968 and 1971, Narasimha Rao started government residential schools in the state and helped poor children get quality food and accommodation," Uttam said.