This refers to “A question for the Congress” (August 20). If Atal Bihari Vajpayee was a humane and a humble prime minister, P V Narasimha Rao (pictured) was arguably the boldest of them all. Despite heading a minority government, he took brave decisions during his first 100 days in power, which changed the face of the Indian economy forever. Not only did he steer our economy out of a severe crisis by appointing Manmohan Singh as his finance minister but he also helped India grow faster by giving an approval to the much needed and long overdue reforms. Overnight, he challenged Congress’ inherent socialism and convinced many a Congressman to engage with capitalism.
It is indeed a tragedy that the Congress disowned his legacy as the PM. This is only because he was never ready to toe the line of the Gandhi family. He was neither a sycophant nor did he end up being a puppet prime minister controlled by the family. This explains the neglect that the party subjected him to.
For the Congress, it still isn’t too late to give him his due. The party should construct his memorial in Delhi as promised by Singh who called Rao “the man who changed Indian economy forever”. This might give Congress some mileage in the upcoming elections as its leaders have nothing up their sleeves to woo the voter.
Ketan K Shah Ahmedabad
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