Prime Minister Narendra Modi pays tribute to former PM PV Narasimha Rao on his birth anniversary

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday paid tribute to former Prime Minister late PV Narasimha Rao on his 98th birth anniversary and called him a "veteran administrator" who "led the nation at a crucial juncture of our history." Modi also applauded Rao for his leadership and for taking steps which contributed to the progress of the nation.

"Remembering Shri PV Narasimha Rao Ji on his birth anniversary. A great scholar and veteran administrator, he led the nation at a crucial juncture of our history. He will be remembered for taking pioneering steps that contributed to national progress," Modi tweeted. 

Prime Minister Modi is currently on a two-day visit to Japan to attend the 14th edition of G20 summit. He will hold numerous bilaterals and pull-asides with world leaders participating in the summit.

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The Congress party also paid a tribute to Narasimha Rao on Twitter, though they spelled his name wrong in the caption:

Current Congress president Rahul Gandhi, however, is yet to issue a statement on Narasimha Rao.

The ninth Prime Minister of India, Narasimha Rao assumed office in June 1991 and stayed in power till May 1996. He is credited with bringing many economic reforms in the country particularly for dismantling the License Raj in the country. Narasimha Rao is also known as  the 'Father of Indian Economic Reforms.' He was an active freedom fighter during the Indian Independence movement and joined full-time politics after independence as a member of the Indian National Congress. During his incumbency as Chief minister of Andhra Pradesh he introduced strict land reforms and also implemented land ceiling acts in Telangana region. He was also the recipient of The Pratibha Murthy Lifetime Achievement Award. Rao died at the age of 83 following a massive heart attack. He is survived by his eight children.

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(With inputs from ANI)