This story is from July 25, 2020

As TRS and BJP vie for PV Narasimha Rao, Gandhis scramble to reclaim Congress legacy

At a time when TRS and BJP are vying with each other to stake the legacy of former prime minister PV Narasimha Rao and charging Congress with having dumped him for vote-bank politics, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi on Friday came out showering praises on Rao.
As TRS and BJP vie for PV Narasimha Rao, Gandhis scramble to reclaim Congress legacy
Former PM PV Narasimha Rao
HYDERABAD: At a time when TRS and BJP are vying with each other to stake the legacy of former prime minister PV Narasimha Rao and charging Congress with having dumped him for vote-bank politics, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi on Friday came out showering praises on Rao.
Sonia Gandhi termed Rao as a dedicated Congressman who served the party devotedly in various capacities.
In a rare praise, she said the Congress party takes pride in his many accomplishments and contributions.
The praise by Sonia assumes political significance as Rao did not enjoy “favourable relations” with the Gandhi family during and after his tenure as PM. He was the first Congressman outside of the Nehru-Gandhi family to have completed a full-term as PM.
BJP and other political parties have accused Congress of humiliating Rao even after his death by not performing his final rites in Delhi and now setting up a memorial in the country’s capital.
Cong’s top brass heap praise on PV
Rao’s family members too had alleged that Sonia Gandhi had not attended the funeral rites of Rao in Hyderabad. Rao died in December 2004 at the age of 83. It was in 2015 that the BJP-led NDA government constructed a memorial for him in Delhi at Ektha Sthal. BJP has been maintaining that the Congress had dumped Rao, particularly after Babri Masjid demolition.
On the other hand, Telangana CM K Chandrasekhar Rao too has launched the birth centenary celebrations of Rao in a big way and demanded Bharat Ratna, calling him a great son of India and Telangana icon.

The messages of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi were read out by TPCC president N Uttam Kumar Reddy at the virtual meeting organised to launch Rao’s birth centenary celebrations here on Friday. In her message, Sonia stated Rao became the PM at a time of grave economic crisis and the country was able to overcome many challenges successfully through his bold leadership. She also termed him as most scholarly and erudite. For many years, Sonia had not praised Rao although she had a brief mention about him in her presidential speech at Congress plenary in 2010. In 2018, the AICC plenary adopted a political resolution, paying tributes to him for his economic reforms.
Rahul Gandhi’s message read: “We celebrate the legacy of a man whose contribution continues to shape modern India. I hope this event will revive interest among our youth to learn about India’s growth story and the remarkable individuals who made this possible.” Former President of India Pranab Mukherjee, former PM Manmohan Singh and former Union ministers — P Chidambaram and Jairam Ramesh — also praised Rao and recalled his bold decisions to usher in economic reforms.
PV Manohar Rao, younger brother of Rao, garlanded the bust of Rao and lighted the lamp, marking the commencement of centenary celebrations.
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