On Monday (December 26), Congress scion Rahul Gandhi paid floral tributes at the memorials of former Prime Ministers of India, including that of his father Rajiv Gandhi, grandmother Indira Gandhi and great grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru.
The Congress leader had also visited the memorials of BJP leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the Janta Party leader Charan Singh, who became Prime Ministers outside of a non-Congress alliance in Parliament.
Interestingly, Rahul Gandhi did not pay tribute to former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao, although he was a prominent Congress leader and the architect of the modern Indian economy.
Natcharaju Venkata Subhash, the grandson of PV Narasimha Rao, lambasted Rahul Gandhi for not paying homage to the former Prime Minister during his Telangana leg of ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra.’
This was despite the fact that the Congress scion addressed a public meeting near the statue of Indira Gandhi. In a tweet, Subhash wrote, “Hatred for the #PVNarasimhaRao in the Gandhi Family reflects again. Rahul Gandhi took Darshan of all previous PM’s except P V Narasimha Rao. He gave his blood and sweat to Congress.”
“But even after his death, his mortal remains were not allowed to keep in Congress Office for Lying-in State. What else can be expected from a fifth-generation dynast,” he concluded.
Rahul Gandhi’s actions were however defended by Telangana Congress President, Goud, who claimed that the Congress scion was denied permission by the police.
“I was present there, Rahul himself wanted to visit PV Narasimha Rao and due to security reasons, he was unable to go there…Police said not to go as there was a heavy crowd surrounding,” Goud told ANI.
Indignities meted out to PV Narsimha Rao under Congress
It is not a hidden fact that Sonia Gandhi loathed P.V. Narasimha Rao enough to not allow his mortal remains to enter the AICC (All India Congress Committee) compound. His body stayed parked in a carriage outside the gate.
PV Narasimha Rao, who Manmohan Singh hails as the “father of economic reforms in India” did not even receive a state funeral. In fact, a leader like Sanjay Gandhi, who presided over horrendous programs such as forced sterilisation during the Emergency was honoured with a state funeral and a samadhi in Delhi.
However, PV Narasimha Rao was not considered by the Congress leadership, headed by Sonia Gandhi, of worthy enough to deserve a state funeral and a samadhi in Delhi. Sonia Gandhi, it is believed, was ‘upset‘ about the way the investigation of Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination had proceeded.
Even before his demise, Rao was subjected to humiliation and abasement that did not seem proper for a senior AICC member and the former Prime Minister of India. Rao passed away on 23rd December 2004.
Following his death, Nalapat claimed that despite calling a special Union Cabinet meeting at 3 pm to discuss the subject of Rao’s funeral. No arrangements were made at his 9 Motilal Nehru Marg to receive the body and place it on a platform.
Neither flowers nor carpets were laid out by the Congress administration for the mourning crowds to sit on.
In July 2016, veteran Congress leader Margaret Alva accused Sonia Gandhi of insulting PV Narasimha Rao during an interview with Karan Thapar.
Thapar said, “There is a real sense from your book that Sonia Gandhi got her revenge. You were General Secretary and you saw how Narasimha Rao’s body was treated by Congress and Sonia was then Congress President.”
“The gun carriage bearing Narasimha’s body was not allowed to enter the AICC headquarters. Instead, it was parked on the pavement outside the gates, with chairs for party leaders outside the gate,” he read out an excerpt from Margaret Alva’s book titled ‘Courage & Commitment: An Autobiography.’
The Vice-Presidential nominee had clarified, “Whatever the differences, he had been the Prime Minister, Congress President, Chief Minister and party’s General Secretary. He had done a wonderful job, except for the Babri Masjid and the mess up with it.”
“When a man is dead, you don’t treat him that way. And I was hurt. I have always regretted not walking away on that occasion but I did not want to insult his body by walking away,” she informed.
The veteran Congress politician also nodded in affirmation when Karan Thapar pointed out that Narasimha Rao was not given the honour of a cremation or burial in the National Capital.