PV Narasimha Rao Birth Anniversary: Pamulaparthi Venkata Narasimha Rao, fondly known as PV Narasimha Rao, was the 9th Prime Minister of India. He served the country from 1991 to 1996 – a time where India was on a brink of economic collapse and was witnessing one of the worst Hindu-Muslim riots across the country. Revered immensely even by leaders across party lines, PV Narasimha Rao is one of the best Prime Ministers India ever had. He was born on June 28 1921, Laknepally currently in Telangana. PV Narasimha Rao Birth Anniversary: PM Narendra Modi Remembers Former Prime Minister on Mann Ki Baat, Calls Him 'Great Son of India'.

There are so many things that one has heard about PV Narasimha Rao. However, there a lot of things that a lot of people are not aware of. As we observe the 99th birth anniversary of PV Narasimha Rao on June 28, i.e. Sunday, we at LatestLY bring you some of the most interesting facts and trivia about his life.

1. PV Narasimha Rao was the only second Indian PM who belonged to the non-Hindi speaking region and was the first one to belong from southern India.

2. PV Narasimha Rao is credited to removing the ‘hanging sword’ of ‘License Raj’ in India in the early 90s.

3. India’s economy was on the verge of a collapse in 1991. It was PV Narasimha Rao’s leadership that saw India come out of that sinkhole, and is hence deservingly referred to as the ‘Father of Indian Economic Reforms’.

4. PV Narasimha Rao was an astute politician and a widely-revered patriotic statesman. Given how he tackled inter-party differences and took decisions with an iron fist, he is popularly called as the ‘Chanakya of Modern India’.

5. PV Narasimha Rao was a one-of-a-kind politician. He is the only PM to have appointed a member of Opposition, Dr Subramanian Swamy, as a Cabinet-rank minister. Also, he let an Opposition member, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, to represent India at a United Nations (UN) meeting.

6. PV Narasimha Rao was a scholar. Not many people know that he was well-versed in 17 languages.

7. Before becoming the PM of India, PV Narasimha Rao had held a lot of positions in his illustrious political career, including the CM of Andhra Pradesh in 1971.

8. It is also said that PV Narasimha Rao had almost quit politics in 1991. However, it was the death of former PM Rajiv Gandhi that brought him back to active politics.

9. It would be surprising to know that PV Narasimha Rao was the first PM, outside Nehru-Gandhi family, to complete the full 5-year term in office.

10. After being elected as the PM, he contested by-elections in the same year. At the time, he won the polls from Nandyal seat by 5,00,000 seats – a feat mentioned in Guinness Book of World Records.

11. It is a little-known fact that it was under the leadership of PV Narasimha Rao, India renewed its ties with Israel, and the latter had opened its embassy in New Delhi.

12. PV Narasimha Rao is also hailed as the ‘true father’ of India’s nuclear program. Although it was former PM AB Vajpayee who conducted the Pokhran tests in 1998, the foundation was laid much earlier in 1995, when Rao was the PM.

13. If you have developed a keen interest in PV Narasimha Rao’s life, you can also read his autobiography, ‘The Insider’.

14. PV Narasimha Rao’s legacy met a fateful end. It is said that after a loss in 1996 General Elections, he was coerced to step-down from the post of Congress President.

15. PV Narasimha Rao breathed his last on December 9, 2004, after suffering a heart attack. Unfortunately, his body was not allowed to enter the Congress premises in Delhi and rather was shifted to Hyderabad for last rites and rituals. It is reportedly said that it was on the behest of Sonia Gandhi’s aides.

The ‘bright and shiny’ legacy of PV Narasimha Rao has been reduced to as the ‘Forgotten PM’ in the modern literature. Not many people know the immense contributions that former PM PV Narasimha Rao has made for this country. From economy to national security, India’s nuclear program, statesmanship, and beyond, PV Narasimha Rao continues to be India’s best PM on a lot of parameters – history would be a better judge; what’s your take?

As June 28 nears, we at LatestLY, thank late PV Narasimha Rao for his contribution to his motherland, India. We wish his soul rests in peace.

Disclaimer: The above pointers are collated from different sources on the Internet. The author and LatestLY vouch no authenticity for it. The above article is for education purpose only and has no motive to harm any person’s interest. We hope you loved reading about former PM PV Narasimha Rao as much as we did.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 28, 2020 02:25 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).