Congress honours ex-pm Rao’s legacy
nNEW DELHI: The Congress on Friday paid tributes to P V Narasimha Rao ahead of yearlong celebrations to commemorate his birth centenary with top leaders, including the interim chief Sonia Gandhi to Rahul Gandhi, expressing their admiration for the late former Prime Minister, who helmed the economic reforms in the 1990s. The reforms are credited for ushering in two decades of rapid economic growth. “July 24 marks the twenty-ninth anniversary of the 1991 budget. On this day, India embarked on a bold new path of economic transformation. Rao and [then finance minister and former Prime Minister] Dr Manmohan Singh played a pivotal role in ushering in the era of liberalisation,” said Rahul Gandhi in a statement.
In her message, Sonia Gandhi said it was an occasion to pay tribute to the scholarly personality. “After a long career in state and national politics, he [Rao] became Prime Minister of India at a time of grave economic crisis. Through his bold leadership, our country was able to overcome many challenges successfully. The Union Budget of July 24, 1991, paved the way for the economic transformation of our country.” She referred to Rao’s tenure as Prime Minister from 1991 to 1996 and said it was marked by political, social, and foreign policy achievements that highlighted he was a dedicated Congressman. Rao is considered an architectof the liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation policies in India.