After Rahul Gandhi’s Visit To Memorials Of Former PMs, Grandson Of PV Narasimha Rao Slams Rahul For Ignoring His Grand Father

Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi’s move to pay a visit to memorials of former prime ministers of India including Atal Bihari Vajpayee has given another point to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to attack Gandhi family.

Rahul Gandhi on Monday (26 December) paid tribute to former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi at Shakti Sthal, Rajiv Gandhi at Veer Bhumi, Lal Bahadur Shastri at Vijay Ghat and Atal Bihari Vajpayee at Sadaiv Atal in Delhi.

Reacting to this, NV Subhash, the grandson of former prime minister PV Narasimha Rao (PVNR), lamented the notable absence of any tribute to PVNR by Rahul Gandhi during his Bharat Jodo Yatra in Telangana.

NV Subhash who is also a BJP leader said that Rahul Gandhi addressed a rally near Indira Gandhi's statue in Hyderabad but did not visit either PV memorial or statue in the city.

“Visiting memorials of former Prime Ministers in Delhi by Rahul Gandhi clearly shows that the party has little respect for non-Gandhi veteran leaders who sacrificed their lives for the country and for strengthening the party. During the course of Bharat Jodo Yatra, Rahul Gandhi visited the memorials and paid tribute to former PMs including Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, and even Atal Bihari Vajpayee but didn't pay tribute to non-Gandhi PM PV Narasimha Rao,” NV Subhash told news agency ANI.

"History is a testimony that the party never recognized the services of a leader not belonging to the Gandhi family. The party did not even give a respectful farewell to PV Narasimha Rao after his death. Had PV Narasimha Rao not become Prime Minister in 1991, the party would have struggled for existence," he said.

While Congress continues to ignore the legacy of PVNR, BRS (formerly TRS) party which is ruling Telangana has made consistent efforts to appropriate PVNR.

In June 2021, Telangana CM KCR unveiled a 16 feet tall statue of PV Narasimha Rao to mark the culmination of year-long birth centenary celebrations that started in June 2020. 

The TRS government in the state also named Hyderabad's famous Necklace road as PV Narasimha Rao Marg. Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) has developed exclusive theme parks, greenery, food stalls, and cycling tracks on either side of the road to make it a popular tourist spot in the city.

Besides celebrating PV Narasimha Rao's birth centenary, CM KCR made PV's daughter S Vani Devi a Member of the Legislative Council (MLC).

Pamulaparthi Venkata Narasimha Rao, who served India as Prime Minister from 1991 to 1996 and ushered in economic reforms, was born and brought up in Laknepalli and Vangara villages, respectively, which are located near Warangal Telangana. PV Narasimha Rao also served as Chief Minister of the then combined Andhra Pradesh from 1971 to 1973 and implemented land reforms.