TPCC Leaders Honour P V Narasimha Rao

The Congress today organised an event at the Gandhi Bhavan to honour former Prime Minster P V Narasimha Rao as part of the ongoing year-long celebrations of the latter's birth centenary, launched on June 28, 2020.

The meeting, chaired by veteran Congress leader V Hanumantha Rao, was kicked off with the ceremonial garlanding of a picture of the former PM.

This was followed by the keynote address which was delivered by senior journalist K Ramachandra Murthy.

In his address, Murthy highlighted Rao's many contributions to the nation, and praised the leader for his selfless devotion to the people.

"I was fortunate enough to meet the former PM on many occasions. He was not just a politician but a true leader of the people. Unlike many politicians today, he was not guided by a selfish desire for power. In fact, PV's decision to implement key economic changes, including land reforms, even cost him an election in Andhra Pradesh," he said.

"In today's India, the anti-people union government has unilaterally introduced a set of exploitative and disenfranchising agricultural legislations. In stark contrast to this, PV, with his deep commitment to ensuring the welfare of all sections of society, would have never brought in such laws. Instead, he would have accepted the recommendations made by panels like the Swaminathan Commission to strengthen the nation's famers," the journalist added.

K Srinivas, the editor of the Telugu daily Andhra Jyothi, and TPCC chief N Uttam Kumar Reddy also spoke on the occasion.

Recalling his stint as a protocol officer at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in days of the PV regime, Reddy said that he had had the honour of interacting closely with Rao which had allowed him to learn a lot from the leader.

He added that the former PM would forever remain in the hearts of the people of the country, and would be remembered as a leader whose commitment to social justice had led him to spend his years in office working towards achieving an equitable and inclusive society.

The TPCC chief also vowed to keep the legacy of the leader alive by working to achieve social justice not only in Telangana but all over the country, and by forever working for the economically disadvantaged and historically marginalised sections of Indian society.

Former Major Industries Minister J Geetha Reddy also spoke at the function, and said, "PV was a revolutionary in every way. He brought in key economic reforms to help the poor people of the country, and took steps to strengthen India's position as a regional power."

Other Congress leaders including MLAs D Sridhar Babu, Ch Vamshichand Reddy and T Jagga Reddy, Congress Kisan Cell national vice-chairman M Kodanda Reddy, former ministers Ponnala Lakshmaiah and Marri Shashidhar Reddy, former MP Mallu Ravi and former minister G Vinod Kumar also took part in the event.