‘Rao did not get due respect, deserves Bharat Ratna’
Hyderabad, June 28: The year-long birth centenary celebrations of former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao by the Telangana government got off to a start on Sunday with chief minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao making a strong pitch for conferring “Bharat Ratna” on the late leader, placing him on par with the country’s first PM Jawaharlal Nehru.
The chief minister paid glowing tributes to the late leader, who hailed from the state, at his ‘samadhi’ “PV Gyan Bhoomi” here on the occasion of his 99th birth anniversary, saying he was “proud son of Telangana” and recalled his contributions to the country, including ushering in bold economic reforms.
Noting that Narasimha Rao did not get the due respect, he announced a slew of measures to honour his memory, including a memorial befitting his stature to be set up at the PV Gyan Bhoomi, kickstarting the birth centenary celebrations.
Mr Chandrasekhar Rao said the country’s hightest civilian award Bharat Ratna should be conferred posthumously on the late Congress leader, credited with leading the country through a critical phase during his tenure of 199196. The TRS supremo said he would meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with a delegation from the state and press the demand for Bharat Ratna.