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Profile
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Name: |
Pamulaparthi Venkata Narasimha Rao |
Birth Date:
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28 June 1921
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| Death Date: |
23 December 2004 |
| Birthplace: |
Vangara Village, Karimnagar District, Andhra Pradesh |
| Occupation: |
Prime Minister |
| Born In: |
Andhra Pradesh |
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Biography
Pamulaparthi Venkata Narasimha Rao (Telugu: పాములపర్తి వెంకట నరసింహారావు, Hindi: पामुलापर्ति वेन्कट नरसिम्ह राव) (28 June 1921 – 23 December 2004) was the ninth Prime Minister of the Republic of India, and led one of the most important administrations in India's modern history that oversaw major economic transformation and checked national security crises.
Early life
A polyglot, Rao could speak 17 languages, including Urdu, Marathi, Hindi, Telugu and English with fluency akin to a native speaker. His mothertongue was Telugu. Along with Devulapalli Ramanuja Rao and Sri Kaloji Narayana Rao, a great human rights activist in India, P.V. edited a Telugu bi-weekly magazine called "Kakatiya" in his early 20's. His father's name was P. V. Ranga Rao. They belonged to a poor Brahmin family from a village called "Vangara(pedda)" in Karimnagar District of Andhra Pradesh, India. He also learned several European languages that are typically not spoken in India, including French and Spanish. Rao studied at Osmania University and the Universities of Mumbai and Nagpur; he held a Bachelor's and Master's degrees in law.
Rao was an active freedom-fighter during India's indpendence movement, and after independence, he joined politics full time. Rao served brief stints in the cabinet (1962 - 1971) and chief ministries (1971 - 1973) for the state of Andhra Pradesh. When the Indian National Congress split in 1969, he remained loyal to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, and stayed so during the national emergency (1974-1977). He then rose to the national level in 1972 by serving in several ministries, most significantly home, defence and foreign affairs (1980 - 1984), in the cabinets of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. He was the first PM from South India and Andhra Pradesh.
Ascent to Prime Minister
After the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi and the general elections of 1991, Rao was chosen to lead the Congress party, and when the Congress won a plurality in parliament later that year Rao was invited to head a minority government. He was the first person outside the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty to serve as Prime Minister for five continuous years. He was also the first Prime Minister to lead a minority government for a full term (five years) and the first prime minister from southern India.
National Economic Crisis
Narasimha Rao became Prime Minister in 1991. India's leftist economic policies had caused economic stagnation. In the early 1990's longtime leftist regimes such as USSR and China were in the process of liberalization. Rao believed India would benefit from undertaking such an economic transformation. He appointed Manmohan Singh (India's PM since 2004) as Finance Minister to accomplish his goals.
Rao provided the much needed political will and support to push economic reforms. India's economy grew by an average of 6.3% between 1991-2000, a growth rate that continues with a predicted rate of 6.7% for 2005 (source: IMF World Economic Outlook). Rao's supporters have claimed that this rate of growth is the result of spending cuts, deregulation, and privatization that began under the Rao government.
Rao picked conservative BJP leader Atal Behari Vajpayee to represent India in the World Disarmament Conference. Although they were opponents, Vajpayee's hardline pro-nuclear stance was in accordance with Rao's own views. Vajpayee later became the Prime Minister.
Narasimha Rao was the only Indian prime minister to have initated a pragmatic foreign policy by balancing relations between Islamic world and the Israel. He placed india's interests above narrow communal sentiments.
He was successful in keeping out Nehru-Gandhi family from the congress. He was also successful in killing dissent within the congress party by suspending Arjun Singh and ND Tiwari from the congress. However his strategy misfired with the Congress losing 1996 parliament elections and United front forming govt with Congress support.
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Quotes
When I don't make a decision, it's not that I don't think about it. I think about it and make a decision not to make a decision.
Inaction is also action.
Inaction is the best action.
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