BJP pooh-poohs Congress for belated celebrations of PV Narasimha Rao

The BJP in Telangana has pooh-poohed the Congress party for “waking up from a deep slumber after so many years in announcing former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao’s centenary celebrations.”

N V Subhash, who is the Telangana BJP’s official spokesperson and grandson of PV Narasimha Rao, in a statement on Thursday, criticised the Congress party for belittling the former Prime Minister. 

“The Party ignored the great visionary of the Indian economy PV Narasimha Rao and it is an act of belittling him by organising celebrations, confining him to Telangana. He was the Prime Minister for the whole country, not for Telangana alone. It is on the specific instructions from the Gandhi family that the TPCC is organising celebrations in Telangana. This shows that the Congress Party wanted only Gandhi family to be in limelight. The whole nation was aware of how the mortal remains of PV had been sent to Hyderabad even without keeping it in the Congress Party office. It is the ploy of Congress leaders to organize PV’s celebrations after Prime Minister Narendra Modi & Telangana CM KCR paid rich tributes to the great leader PV,” he alleged.

Subhash added if the Congress leaders really intended to respect PV, they should first tender an apology & organise the birth anniversary celebrations at the national & international level.  

“No one has trust that the Congress Party, especially the Gandhi family, has such a good and wide heart to do it. With an intention to gain popularity over the BJP, the Congress Party is holding PV’s birth anniversary celebrations. None of the family members will be attending this event,” Subhash added. 

Year-long celebrations

Last month, the Telangana government decided to host grand celebrations of the son of Telangana PV Narasimha Rao for a year till 2021 to mark his 100th birth anniversary. KCR sanctioned Rs 10 crore to organise the year-long PV Centenary celebrations. Speaking about PV, KCR said, “To undertake reforms in every field that he has been entrusted with, one requires conviction and knowledge. Whatever subject he was entrusted with he took bold decisions and introduced reforms.”

Announcing that the State Cabinet and Assembly will move a resolution soon demanding the Bharat Ratna for Narasimha Rao, the Telangana chief minister said, “I personally will take a delegation to the Prime Minister and request him to honour PV Narasimha Rao by conferring on him the Bharat Ratna.”

Photograph:( PTI )