HYDERABAD: As news about the Bharat Ratna to former prime minister and former chief minister of united Andhra Pradesh PV Narasimha Rao spread on Friday, political leaders flocked to the late Congress leader’s statue and memorial park on P V Narasimha Rao (PVNR) Marg in Hyderabad. However, while people did recognise his name, not many were aware of his contributions.
Welcoming the announcement, Ravi, a guard employed by the HMDA at the statue, told TNIE, “If you do good things, you should be recognised.” Another guard, Madhu, concurred. However, both admitted that they do not know more about the former prime minister.
A group of women—all employees of HMDA—cleaned the surroundings of the statue anticipating the arrival of leaders. “How would we remember him? You can find more information about him below the statue,” one of the women suggested, which was echoed by her friends.
The plaque below the statue recited the tale of an eventful life. Born in Warangal’s Laknepalli village in 1921, Pamulaparthi Venkata Narasimha Rao was the first person from the Telangana region to become the CM of undivided Andhra Pradesh and the first PM from South India.
A TNIE report from 2004 reads, “By 1948, when Hyderabad liberation struggle was at its peak, Rao was neck-deep in the freedom struggle.” After Hyderabad’s merger with the Indian Union, Rao started the Telugu weekly ‘Kakatiya’.
Entered politics in 1957
His tryst with politics began in 1957 when he became a Congress MLA from Manthani segment, now represented by IT and Industries Minister D Sridhar Babu. Rao went on to represent the segment till 1977.
When Kasu Brahmananda Reddy resigned as the CM of undivided AP in 1971, the Congress, yet again, faced the challenge of choosing a successor in the middle of the five-year period. Reports initially said the high command in Delhi favoured D Sanjivayya. However, in a surprising move, the party selected PV Narasimha Rao as the new chief minister.
But just like his sudden appointment as the CM, the Congress high command abruptly dissolved the PCC and “appointed in its place a 20-man committee with wide-ranging powers,” reads a TNIE report dated January 10, 1973. The Congress imposed President’s rule in the state to counter the Jai Andhra movement.
Became the PM in 1991
Rao’s journey to the position of prime minister began in 1991 when Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated amidst the elections. Sonia Gandhi refused the crown and PV Narasimha Rao was chosen subsequently.
Rao, as a PM, was known for revolutionising the Indian economy. He ushered in “the post-1991 economic reforms that changed the mindset–if not the face of India,” TNIE had reported.
Despite his dedicated work, he did not have a political career without controversies. It was during his tenure as the PM that the Babri Masjid demolition on December 6, 1992 took place.
In 1996, Rao stepped down as the president of the Congress and was soon ignored by the party that he once led. On December 23, 2004, PVNR, who was ailing after a heart attack, passed away in New Delhi. His obituary in TNIE reads, “Rao, once the quintessential Congress ‘insider’ who rose from the ranks to the top, died more of an outsider.”
Further down PVNR Marg in Hyderabad, a young man stood by his ice cream cart awaiting customers. “PV Narasimha Rao? I know there is a statue nearby but I do not know more about him,” he said. Stating that he hails from UP, he suggested that someone from Telangana would be a better person to approach.
(With inputs from Swethavimala M)
