KCR Flags off Narasimha Rao's Birth Centenary Celebrations, to Seek Bharat Ratna for 'Telangana's Pride'

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao inaugurated the 100th birth anniversary celebrations of former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao in Hyderabad, calling him the pride of Telangana.

The inauguration took place at the PV Gnana Bhumi at Necklace Road. The CM offered flowers in tribute to the former PM along with ministers KT Ramarao, Srinivas Yadav, Srinivas Goud, K Keshava Rao, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee chief Utham Kumar Reddy and CPI leader Venkat Reddy.

The centenary celebrations will be conducted in all districts of Telangana and 51 countries.

KCR heaped praise on Narasimha Rao, lauding the late leader's contributions towards finance, education and other sectors. The CM said he was a multi-faceted personality, who was not accorded the respect due to him, despite the nation still enjoying the benefits of his reforms. He called for India's highest civilian honour - Bharat Ratna - to bestowed upon the former PM and chief minister of united Andhra Pradesh.

A delegation comprising the family members of PV Narasimha Rao and leaders of political parties, led by KCR, will urge PM Narendra Modi to grant him the Bharat Ratna and rename the University of Hyderabad after Rao.

He said that the Centre must also release a postal stamp and set up a photograph of the late leader in Parliament House to commemorate the celebrations.

KCR praised PV Narasimha Rao in glittering terms, drawing a parallel between him and India's first PM Jawaharlal Nehru. "He shunned caste, money and force only to become a chief minister and then Prime Minister," he said.

The former diplomat was unmindful of political criticism and used his political acumen to succeed in the task of pulling the country out of crisis and towards financial reform, KCR said. "A socialist, good orator with determination and a polyglot, PV Narasimha Rao was a leading light in adopting reforms persistently," he added.

"We must emulate ideals of a man who donated his assets to the government and served as CM of combined Andhra Pradesh," he said. He added that following the great leader's ideals, the state had set up 900 gurukuls.

"The Sarvel Educational Institute was the brainchild of PV Narsimha Rao who was a diligent student and changed the name of the Centre's education ministry to Human Resource Development," KCR stated.

Bronze statues of the leader will be installed in Hyderabad, Warangal, Karimnagar, Vanagara and Telangana Bhavan in Delhi. A life-size photograph will also be put up in the state Assembly.