Glowing tributes were paid to former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao on Saturday as the new Telangana government celebrated his 93rd birth anniversary as a state function for the first time.
Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan, Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, Leader of Opposition K. Jana Reddy, a host of ministers, MPs, MLAs, Jnanpeeth awardee C. Narayana Reddy and leaders of various parties offered floral tributes to the “son of the soil” at PV Gnana Bhoomi in Hyderabad on Saturday.
Speaking on the occasion, the Governor described the late Prime Minister as a “perfect human being” and a man with great ideals.
“A leader like P.V. Narasimha Rao is very rare on the Indian political map. He was a modern Chanakya, a multi-faceted personality and a man with his feet firmly on the ground. He was the father of economic reforms in the country,” the Governor said.
From being a freedom fighter, who took an active part in the Quit India Movement, P.V. Narasimha Rao rose to occupy every post in Indian polity.
“He was a man who rose from a small position to the highest position in the country. We have to always remember that,” the Governor said.
Recalling his association with the former Prime Minister, the Governor pointed out that PV was a man who took bureaucratic decisions.
“My indecision is a conscious decision,” Mr. Narasimhan quoted PV as telling him once when, as the then top Intelligence Bureau official, he went to get a filed cleared.
“PV ji had a great sense of humour. He will finish you off with that. He was man of great ideals. He is not a man or name to be forgotten,” Mr. Narasimhan added.
Stating that the former PM was a ‘lover of Ayurveda’, the Governor asked the Telangana government to develop a herbal garden at the PV Gnana Bhoomi.
The Chief Minister said his Cabinet would soon pass a resolution requesting the Centre to confer Bharat Ratna on the late legend.
The Chief Minister announced on the occasion that a memorial building that would house the memorabilia of the late Prime Minister would be constructed in Hyderabad. “It will showcase PV’s life, his literature, speeches and other things,” he added.
“A new district that will be carved out soon will be named after P V Narasimha Rao. We will also name a new university in Telangana after him,” Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao said.
He requested the Centre to build a befitting memorial to the former Prime Minister in New Delhi.
Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao lamented that PV did not get the deserved honour at the national level though he was a genius on many fronts.
The Chief Minister recalled that PV was the first Chief Minister to implement the Land Reforms Act passed by the Centre. “He (PV) did not go back on this despite knowing that he would face many problems. He eventually lost his post,” KCR pointed out.
Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu also paid tributes to the former Prime Minister.
“He (PV) was a thinker, a multi-faceted genius, an exceptional economist, who pioneered landmark economic reforms, a man of great integrity, a polyglot, a translator, a distinguished poet and an acclaimed author,” Mr. Naidu said.
