P.V. Narasimha Rao

Described as an accidental Prime Minister, Pamulaparthy Venkata Narasimha Rao rose to become the Chief Minister of the unbifurcated state of Andhra Pradesh when he was fifty years old. The astute leader from Karimnagar, who entered politics in his twenties, was elected for three consecutive terms as MLA and became a minister who held different portfolios during that eventful period. He made a deep study of every subject assigned to him – from the religious endowment to education. ‘Not taking a decision in a hurry was better than rushing through a hasty decision was his view and PVNR believed in deep study of the subject before taking a decision, observed veteran freedom fighter and Gandhian late Shri Vavilala Gopalakrishnayya. PVNR’s academic career was brilliant and he was a voracious reader. His pout was a caricaturist’s delight. But beneath the quiet exterior, lay a touch of humour too. His imperturbability amazed many top civil servants. Shri K.Natwar Singh’s article on PVNR is a masterpiece. Comparing the great Jawaharlal with PVNR, Natwar Singh wrote that Nehru had a temper, while PVNR had a temperament. An instance of PVNR’s sense of humour was during the visit of Gaston Thorn, who headed the European Union team to Delhi. Senior civil servants including Foreign Secretary Eric Gonsalves and his wife Rose and a host of officials were present on the occasion. Gently PVNR whispered to foreign secretary Eric Gonsalves, “Eric, every day you have risen, today you have a thorn too!” The low profile P.V.Narasimha Rao and the self-effacing Dr Manmohan Singh changed the course of history and secured India’s global prominence. This book portrays the rise to national eminence of a rare political leader who became the prime minister of the world’s largest democracy and with Dr Manmohan Singh as the finance minister transformed India into a stable democracy and a vibrant economy.