The late Rao’s birth centenary is on 28 June 2021.
New Delhi: P.V. Narasimha Rao came to occupy the highest office of the Prime Minister of the country on 21 June 1991 by a strange stroke of fate, totally unexpected and beyond reasonable belief. And definitely not something the great man himself could have ever imagined to happen, especially when he was packing his bags to leave Delhi while recovering from a five-artery bypass surgery.
It’s most aptly said by William Shakespeare that “Some people are born great; some achieve greatness and yet on some greatness is thrust upon…”
In the case of Narasimha Rao, all of these three situations occurred at different stages of his life and finally when he was sworn in as Prime Minister, greatness was thrust upon him by sheer good fortune. Needless to say, he proved to be one of the most defining Indian Prime Ministers, paving the way for a glorious and golden era in India’s history. The political experience gained by him during his more than 50-year-old career till he reached the office of PM, was invaluable, making him an extraordinary visionary for the future of India.
Having been born in 1921, he witnessed the enormous global political developments leading to freedoms struggles and post-colonial era growth of the countries around the world which brought to him rich experience for running the country. He played a stellar role, fighting the Nizam and his oppressive rule in Hyderabad state against the Telugu people which helped in freeing themselves and the creation of the united Andhra Pradesh. It is of course, much to his dismay that there was a bifurcation of the state into two parts, which is sore point of many proud Telugu speaking people who believe that the Congress party politics engineered this disaffection and split among the most loving and friendly people of both the states.
His formal political career of holding office continuously for 34 years, came with extraordinary scholarship as an acclaimed author with a Masters degree in legal studies and a practice of law. He was a polyglot and could speak nine Indian and eight foreign languages fluently. This was a great gift that made him a successful national and international leader. As Foreign Minister and Prime Minister, he visited around 100 countries to establish India’s diplomatic reach. He occupied every important portfolio as a Cabinet minister; be it Defence, Home, HRD or External Affairs, and was also on numerous Parliamentary Committees that decided extremely important matters. One of his greatest contributions was in the economic liberalisation of India, which he achieved through the appointment of his protégé, Manmohan Singh as Finance Minister. And who thereafter carried it through his two terms as Prime Minister himself.
His single most important contribution which led India to occupy a place of greatness and leadership was the irreversible liberalisation policy, implemented in the best interests of the country. It played a great role in the removal of India from high indebtedness, bankruptcy, adverse balance of payments and negative foreign exchange reserves to the one we are enjoying today of holding reserves of US$608.08 billion.
We have also become an education hub, an IT superpower, a great producer/manufacturer of pharma products, and made developments in medical sciences thanks to the policies initiated by the Narasimha Rao government. His Look East policy led us to great prosperity and friendship with the ASEAN and all other South-East Asian countries. Our international friendships grew to such an extent that today we are a confident claimant to a permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council.
The great contributions made by Narasimha Rao can be summed up in the words of Harry S. Truman: “Men make history and not the other way around. In periods where there is no leadership, society stands still. Progress occurs when courageous, skilful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better.”
The Rao government also focused on all important areas of development like defence production and nuclear power and capabilities. The idea of the nuclear test was mooted first by him and thereafter carried out by the government of A.B. Vajpayee, with whom he enjoyed a great personal friendship.
Narasimha Rao was a very tall leader and aptly termed as the Chanakya of Indian politics. He was respected by political leaders from all parties, including the eminent Dr Subramanian Swamy who has been demanding the conferment of “Bharat Ratna” on Rao. It is heartening to know that a tall statue of Rao is being unveiled in Hyderabad on his 100th birth anniversary on the 28 June 2021. I feel a befitting statue should be erected in the national capital as well. He richly deserves it.
He shares his birthdate, 28 June with a few other personalities who have changed the world, like the French political philosopher, Jean-Jacque Rousseau, and the living legend Elon Musk.
Dr G.V. Rao, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India, was a personal counsel of Narasimha Rao. He can be reached at officegvrao@gmail.com