Telangana's Pride, Nation's Reformer: Leaders Pay Tribute to PV Narasimha Rao on 105th Birth Anniversary

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday paid tribute to former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao on his 105th birth anniversary , remembering him as an able administrator and a distinguished scholar who made enduring contributions to India's progress during a critical phase of the nation's history. Rao was born on June 28, 1921 , in Karimnagar , in what is today Telangana , and went on to serve as India's ninth Prime Minister from 1991 to 1996 , leaving a legacy that leaders across the political spectrum continue to invoke with reverence.

Posting on X, Modi said Rao "made enduring contributions to India's progress during a critical phase of our nation's history" and was "blessed with immense knowledge and understanding of India's diverse culture." Defence Minister Rajnath Singh described Rao as a visionary leader and distinguished statesman who marked a defining moment in India's economic journey, while Union Minister Nitin Gadkari also remembered the Bharat Ratna awardee on the occasion. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge paid tribute, highlighting Rao's landmark economic liberalisation policies, his contributions to India's nuclear programme , and the farsighted 'Look East' foreign policy initiative that reshaped the country's strategic outlook for decades.

In Hyderabad , the city that houses his memorial, the anniversary was marked with particular emotion. Union Minister G Kishan Reddy visited PV Gnanabhoomi (PV Ghat) and offered floral tributes, while Telangana BJP President N Ramchander Rao also paid homage at the site, crediting Rao as the first Prime Minister outside the Nehru Gandhi family to complete a full five year term. TPCC President Mahesh Kumar Goud , Ministers Ponnam Prabhakar and Adluri Laxman Rao , MP Anil Yadav , and several other Congress leaders also offered floral tributes at PV Ghat .

Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy paid rich tributes to the leader he called "a beloved son of Telangana." Hailing Rao as a freedom fighter , a polyglot , and a visionary leader, the Chief Minister stated that the services and ideals of PV Narasimha Rao , a leader who made the nation proud and a brilliant intellectual, would always serve as an inspiration for future generations. BRS working president K T Rama Rao echoed that pride, calling it "a matter of pride for all of us that P V Narasimha Rao , who steered the nation out of a massive crisis during a turbulent period, was born in Telangana," and recalling that the previous KCR government had celebrated his centenary on a grand scale, named Necklace Road and the Veterinary University after him, and erected a towering statue in his honour.

On the eve of the anniversary, a special exhibition titled 'A Statesman's Journey' was inaugurated at the Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya in New Delhi by Rao's grandson N V Subhash . The exhibition traces Rao's journey from a small village in the erstwhile Hyderabad State to the highest office in the land, bringing together rare photographs, official documents, speeches, and audio visual material on the 1991 economic reforms and his contributions to governance and diplomacy. Subhash said his grandfather's life should inspire India's younger generation: "He came from an ordinary village and rose to become the Prime Minister of India . He was the first Prime Minister from South India and a great scholar who knew 14 languages ."

Widely regarded as the "Father of Indian Economic Reforms," Rao is credited with dismantling the restrictive Licence Raj and steering India through a period of sweeping economic liberalisation that reshaped the country's economy. He was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna in 2024 for his contributions. Born in Karimnagar , educated at Osmania University and later at Bombay and Nagpur universities , Rao served as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh before ascending to national leadership, a son of the Telugu soil whose footprint on modern India remains as large as ever.