It was the winter of 2004. On a chilly day, the mortal remains of India’s former prime minister PV Narasimha Rao were brought to the Congress office on Akbar Road.
All senior leaders of the party, then prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi and the top brass were present to pay tribute. But what stood out was the fact that the mortal remains was not taken inside the Congress office and instead, tributes were paid outside the main gate. The party had defended the move then, saying it was done due to lack of space. The explanation, however, did not cut ice, given the huge lawns of the premises.
What was evident from the move was the fact that even in death, Sonia Gandhi’s frosty ties with Rao were not forgotten. In fact, his sons accused her government of not converting Rao’s official residence into a memorial.
Years ago, Gandhi had blamed Rao for not speeding up the investigation into the assassination of her husband Rajiv Gandhi. In a letter to him, she had written to ask what would happen to the common man if the probe into a former PM’s assassination was so slow. Those privy to the developments then had said Rao was shaken.
Yet, the biggest support for Rao always came from Singh who openly called the former his guru and the father of liberalisation in India. He continued to pay tributes to him each year, even when the party did not. That Rao was seen as an outsider was often reflected in the fact that at big party events and conclaves, his posters were missing or added as an afterthought. If you look at the Congress website, which lists those who have inspired the party, Rao’s name is surprisingly missing.
So what explains the Bharat Ratna for Rao then? There are twin messages here. One, he comes from Andhra Pradesh and amid the North vs South debate, picking Rao for the honour is the government’s way of showing that the South matters. More importantly, it also underlines the statement that the prime minister has been making — Anyone who is not from the Nehru-Gandhi family is not recognised or given importance. Sardar Patel, Pranab Mukherjee, Subhash Chandra Bose are names that PM Modi has often referred to.
Today, as Sonia Gandhi welcomes the award to Rao, the outsider tag he was given cannot be forgotten. The award has only resurrected the fact that for the Congress, he was almost a pariah as the Gandhis were not happy with him.
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