Father of India's economic revolution dead

New Delhi, December 23: A statesman, scholar and linguist Pamulaparti Venkata Narasimha Rao will be remembered for several firsts to his credit during an eventful five years as Prime Minister in the last decade that saw India take a new economic path, the demolition of the controversial Babri Masjid and the rise of the saffron forces.

A hardcore congressman, Rao, who died at the age of 83, was the first Prime Minister from the South, the first from outside Nehru-Gandhi family to complete a full five year term and also dubiously the first to face criminal charges and accusations in and out of the top office.

However, before his death he was cleared in all the three cases he faced trial, the relief in the last Lakhubhai Pathak cheating case coming just a few months ago. Born in an agrarian family in Vangara village of Karimnagar district of Andhra Pradesh on June 28, 1921, Rao took over the reigns of Congress after the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi in May, 1991 and became Prime Minister after the staggered Lok Sabha elections in June.

PV, as he was popularly known, would be remembered for initiating far-reaching economic changes which turned Nehru's public sector penchant upside down. Educated at Osmania, Bombay and Nagpur universities from where he took his B.Sc. And LLB degrees, Rao's political baptism began in 1938 during the protest against the Nizam government's ban on singing 'Vande Mataram' in his college. Rao, a widower, leaves behind three sons and five daughters.

A staunch and trusted loyalist of the Nehru-Gandhi family, Rao had the rare distinction of holding important non-economic portfolios at the Centre -- External Affairs, Defence and Home at different times in the 1980s. Rao, whose famous pout was a cartoonists' delight, did not contest the 1991 elections and had virtually wound up his establishment here reconciling to political retirement.

But fate willed otherwise. After Rajiv Gandhi's assassination, he became the consensus candidate for the Congress President's post that put him in the Prime Minister's seat after the elections. He headed a minority government for sometime and later acquired a majority strength in the Lok Sabha under controversial circumstances which his detractors said was acquired through dubious means.

After he relinquished power in 1996, he went through a difficult period facing trials in the infamous JMM MPs' bribery case and Lakhubhai Pathak case. While the lower court convicted him in the bribery case, the Delhi High Court exonerated him later. He was also discharged in the St Kitts forgery case.

One who earned the soubriquet "Chanakya" for his maneuvering skills, he also came under attack from his own party colleagues and Opposition leaders when his government pursued the "hawala" scam in which they were implicated. The scandal, however, finally met a judicial death.

If Rao has left a legacy as Prime Minister, it is of LPG (liberalisation, privatisation, globalisation) and economic reforms under the then Finance Minister Manmohan Singh as the duo pulled the country from the economic brink it was facing at the height of a severe foreign exchange crisis. One black spot of his rule was the demolition of the disputed structure at Ayodhya in December 1992 and nationwide communal riots that followed.

He was Union Home Minister when riots erupted after the assassination of Indira Gandhi in 1984 and even then he was blamed for "criminal inaction". In 1993, a year after the securities scam, big bull Harshad Mehta created a sensation when he alleged to have handed over to him a suitcase with Rs one crore at his residence. It took a while for Rao to come out of the political crisis that the muck had left behind.

Not many expected him to remain Prime Minister for long, some even called him the "stop-gap" premier given his age, ailing health and lack of charisma and grassroots support. Yet, confounding political pundits, the "meek inheritor" soon emerged as a "power player" and he was in splits watching one party split after another including Telugu Desam, Shiv Sena and Janata Dal.

But one scam after another made his government highly unpopular, culminating in defeat of the Congress in the May 1996 Lok Sabha polls. In September, Rao quit the post of the party president. After being chargesheeted in St Kitts forgery and JMM bribery case, he also gave up the CPP leadership.

Rao was the first Prime Minister to have faced criminal charges but he relentlessly fought all the cases. After Sonia Gandhi took over the party reins he did not contest Lok Sabha polls.

Rao was back to what he did best -writing- and came out with an over 700-page semi-autobiographical tone, "the insider", released by his arch political rival but close friend and another former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

His true gift lay in putting across party ideology, and he played a key role in drafting the political, economic and foreign policy resolutions for the AICC session at Kamagatur Nagar in Chandigarh. After Emergency was lifted, he was one of the few prominent Congressmen who withstood the Janata wave and entered the Lok Sabha from Hanamkonda in 1977.

Politics, however, was just one of the many interests of this multi-faceted personality. A Sahitya Ratan in Hindi, Rao was fluent in several languages, including Spanish.

Taking a cue from the Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, Rao was over 60 years old when he became a computer addict spending hours on his word processors when most politicians were not computer literate. The word processors came in handy to draft the new education policy when he was asked to head the newly created human resource development ministry in 1986. The Navodaya Vidyalaya scheme was his brainchild.

Later as Prime Minister, "the consensus man" implemented V.P. Singh's pet project, the Mandal Commission report. Rao's Prime Ministership also marked an upswing in Indo-US relations after a summit meeting with the then American President Bill Clinton in Washington in 1994.

A science and law graduate from Nagpur University, Rao later lectured at the universities in the US and Germany. He always had a way with words. A day before he was sworn in as Prime Minister, he said, "As an individual, I feel overwhelmed, utterly humble. But as representative of a great party, I feel like a colossus".

Known for his conciliatory manner and ideological firmness, Rao always held his own in any discussion without threatening anybody, making him a successful External Affairs Minister in Indira and Rajiv cabinets. His multi-lingual skills always came in handy.

After the 1992 Ayodhya demolition, he pacified Muslim clerics in chaste Urdu. Later, he was quoting slokas from the Gita while addressing the IAS probationers at his residence.

Even funnier considering that Kingwood isn't really a small town, it's a suburb of Houston. I've never lived in a city smaller than 3 million. In addition, it should have been noted that I work for an airline.

Not only am I very interested in international affairs and news... I've actually been to more places on the planet than most on this board. My gripe is simply against professionals posting articles and comments here for PR purposes. I rooted one out already. There are a number of these folks.

That said, I freely admit to having a bias against the India government. I don't appreciate a country that slaps 70% tariffs on our goods, yet constantly whines about efforts to curtail outsourcing and refuses to engage in TWO-SIDED free trade. The Indian people themselves will suffer from their own government's anti-Americanism and vampire like trade policies.

Is that so??Well I hope you can take time off to visit the websites of Chevrolet,Ford & GM on their India operations-they are raking in millions with their latest offer being SUVs which have become a craze among the middle class.& these companies have put a few Indian manufacturers like Tata & Hindustan Motors under strain with competition.What about the Genetically modified crops that have pretty much crushed the livelihood of many an Indian farmer?They wouldn't have endedup in India if there were 70 % import tarrifs.I can go on & on about patenting & consumer items.

In short,while BPO has put Americans out of work,American companies operating in India have severely damaged small scale & local manufacturers.Globalisation works both ways-learn to live with that.

Globalisation works both ways-learn to live with that.

Is that some sort of a slogan. I have heard is used on American workers who have lost their jobs and have complained about it. It seems to be popping up in a lot of places. Its kind of like saying "shut up and take it with a grin". After all those who complain are mentally incapable of adjusting, and need to be instructed by their betters.

If the jobs moved from India to even cheaper locations, I am sure everyone will be quietly and reasonably "learning to live with it".

No,it's not a slogan but a bloody reality to which all of us should adjust.Whenever Coke or Pepsi open a new plant in India or Kenya or wherever,they put out of business numerous local beverages & their makers.The same goes for an Indian or South Korean farmer whose produce cannot compete in the Western world(due to the subsidies) & in his own country(due to the availability of patented "high yielding" seeds).The Western world has only recently started seeing the effects of globalisation-China has been witnessing it for over 20 years & India for over 10.This isn't slogan mean't for American workers who lose their jobs to Indians or the retrenched staff of the Centaur hotel in Mumbai,which was privatised by the Government of India over an year ago.

Whenever Coke or Pepsi open a new plant in India or Kenya or wherever,they put out of business numerous local beverages & their makers.

But for the jobs lost, new ones have been created due to these new plants.

The Western world has only recently started seeing the effects of globalisation-China has been witnessing it for over 20 years & India for over 10.

China and recently India has been on the receiving end of the jobs flow. Its great to be on the receiving end. A lot of those jobs don't come back, and new equal ones are not created fast enough- that is the ground reality.

retrenched staff of the Centaur hotel in Mumbai,which was privatized by the Government of India over an year ago.

Not the same as outsourcing to a foreign country.

The Western world has only recently started seeing the effects of globalization.

Actually, manufacturing jobs started disappearing a while back.

I am not against free trade e.t.c. as long as its not a one sided affair. However, when people here voice their frustrations here, I resent patronizing lecturing that comes from overseas at those "stupid" Americans to learn to live with it.

If this kind of sudden jobs drain happened in India (even S. India where you live), there will be strikes, sit-ins, hunger strikes, burned vehicles on the road e.t.c. Considering that, Americans adjust rather well to the jobs market.

Anyway, don't mind my heated demeanor on this subject. I am a little touchy when told to live with it, though I don't expect any sympathy either.

Hmm,I was not showing sympathy either!!Many of the Public sector undertakings(including the Centaur hotel i happened to mention) was taken over by consortiums of which multinationals were shareholders.Your right,new jobs were created -but for every 5 new jobs created,10 others were booted out.The fact of the matter is the tyre burning & strike phase is coming to a gradual end in India with most states having passed legislation to control it.The next on the line for privatisation/disinvestment will be the 2 national airlines & the postal service. & Living in India & reading a lot of English and regional language papers,I can say most people see that as necessary.A privileged bunch will get jobs,others will lose it.If Im not mistaken,Indian IT majors like Wipro & TCS have opened American operations in the US which employees Americans-jobs being created there too(which ofcourse won't compensate for those lost).

That said, I freely admit to having a bias against the India government. I don't appreciate a country that slaps 70% tariffs on our goods, yet constantly whines about efforts to curtail outsourcing and refuses to engage in TWO-SIDED free trade. The Indian people themselves will suffer from their own government's anti-Americanism and vampire like trade policies.

That's a good point. It IS a difficult line to walk -- disliking a government and not harbouring hatred against the people. Many freepers seem to have crossed the line and appear bigotted (not you, but others, or perhaps that's the way they seem though they don't mean it).

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