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Shri P.V. Narasimha Rao, who was active in Indian politics for over 40 years as a devoted Congressman is no more. Shri Rao, a multilinguist was a distinguished strategist and tactician. His multifaceted personality went beyond the confines of politics. He was a great thinker, intellectual, and litterateur.
In 1940, he was banished from the Hyderabad state for singing Vande Mataram. He came to Pune and mastered Marathi and Hindi. He used to receive Rs 3 from home per month of which he spent two rupees and saved one to see the plays by Balagandharv.
The sad demise Shri Narasimha Rao has come as a rude shock to all of us. Although he was ailing for some time every one expected him to be back in the service of the nation soon. We offer our condolences to the family members of Shri Rao.
Shri Rao’s was a versatile personality. He was a man of many great qualities and talents. Besides being a politician he was also a thinker, scholar, writer and above all a wonderful human being. He ran the affairs of the country as Prime Minister with great wisdom and experience at a time of great tumult and instability which earned him the sobriquet ‘Chanakya’ of Indian politics.
Despite ideological differences several Sangh leaders enjoyed good rapport with him. While the differences were very deep, neither the Sangh leaders nor he ever allowed them to create any ill-will.
In the Indian politics today, very few politicians match his stature and scholarship. He left an indelible imprint on the Indian polity.
There was another aspect to his personality and that was to kill many birds with one arrow. Some newspapers had alleged that he was inactive when the Babri structure was being pulled down in Ayodhya. But this inaction was not without reason.
The Muslim community and the secularists held him responsible for creating the situation, which led to the demolition of the disputed structure. Rao in order to save his position in Congress dismissed without reason all the four BJP state governments and banned the VHP, Bajrang Dal and RSS. For this he had to face the wrath of the Hindus. In history he will be remembered for the fact that he did not allow the central security forces into the temple area till the idol of Ramlalla was reinstalled and the make shift temple was constructed.
We pay him our respectful homage and pray God that his soul be accorded peace in His abode.
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