On Narsimha Rao’s 95th birth anniversary, a look at his political career

India’s eighth prime minister, Pamulaparti Venkata Narsimha Rao, is remembered as an underrated albeit gifted political strategist and thinker. (HT Photo)

Published on: Jun 28, 2016 4:01 PM IST

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India’s eighth prime minister, Pamulaparti Venkata Narsimha Rao, is remembered as an underrated albeit gifted political strategist and thinker. (HT Photo)

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Rao served his term from 1991 to 1996 – a time of great political and economic upheaval for the country. Globally, the world was recovering from the frostiness of cold war relations. Rao receives Russian President, Boris Yelstin, who was on a state visit to India in 1993. (Virendra Prabhakar/HT Photo)

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Rao was a freedom fighter and a seasoned leader of the Congress party, serving as Home Minister under Rajiv Gandhi’s tenure and the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. Here, Rao is pictured with Shankar Dayal Sharma, K R Narayanan, Khursheed Alam Khan, A K Antony and Pranab Mukherjee at a swearing in ceremony for new ministers in 1993. (Rajiv Chawla/HT Photo)

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One of the most enduring legacies of Rao’s tenure is the introduction of the economic reforms in 1991. With Manmohan Singh as his Finance Minister, he dismantled the License Raj and opened up India’s economy. (HT Photo/Arun Jetlie)

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Rao’s career is blighted by accusations of inaction during two of independent India’s worst communal incidents -- the Sikh riots of 1984, when he was the Home Minister, and the Babri Masjid demolition in 1992 when he Prime Minister. In this photo, Rao talks to his minsters before leaving for a foreign tour. (HT Photo/Sanjay Sharma)

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In the later years of Rao’s tenure, there were strong rumours of friction in his relationship with Sonia Gandhi. Many say that this was the reason of the Congress’ ‘disowning’ of Rao, who was refused a memorial in New Delhi by the UPA government after his death in 2004. (HT Photo)

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Rao always shared cordial relations with the opposition, including BJP leaders such as Atal Bihari Vajpayee. In the past few years, the BJP has made a concerted effort to reclaim Rao’s legacy, with Prime Minster Narendra Modi sanctioning a memorial for him after he came to power. (HT Photo)