Former Prime Minister's Brother Expresses Deep Regret

Since the passing of former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, the Congress party has been urging the Modi government to construct a memorial for him in the nation's capital, Delhi. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge even wrote a letter to this effect.

Manmohan Singh is hailed as a great economist and a leader who served as Prime Minister for ten years, deserving of honor. However, the BJP has strongly criticized the Congress party over this demand. The BJP pointed out that while Congress claims to respect Manmohan Singh immensely, it failed to honor former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao, who transformed the nation with economic reforms, empowered Manmohan Singh with full freedom to implement those reforms, and strengthened India's economy.

After Narasimha Rao's demise, Congress reportedly humiliated him by refusing to bring his body to the party headquarters in Delhi. Instead, they pressured his family to conduct the final rites in Hyderabad. Neither the Congress leaders in Delhi nor those in the then-united Andhra Pradesh paid significant attention to Rao.

To understand the personality, governance, and the way Congress, especially Sonia Gandhi, treated Narasimha Rao, one must read Half Lion by Vinay Sitapati (translated into Telugu as Narasimhudu).

Against the backdrop of Congress demanding a memorial for Manmohan Singh, Sharmistha Mukherjee, daughter of former President Pranab Mukherjee, also expressed her anguish, stating that Congress did not honor her father after his demise.

Recently, P.V. Narasimha Rao's brother, P.V. Manohar Rao, expressed his disappointment in an interview with Delhi media. Despite Narasimha Rao's immense contributions to the Congress party, it failed to honor him, he lamented. He emphasized that it is customary to hold the final rites and construct a memorial on the banks of the Yamuna River in Delhi for deceased Prime Ministers. However, Congress pressured the family to conduct Rao's final rites in Hyderabad.

Manohar Rao also pointed out that despite Congress being in power for ten years, it failed to construct a memorial for Narasimha Rao in Delhi or bestow the Bharat Ratna upon him. It was the BJP government that finally honored Rao with the Bharat Ratna.

He praised the Telangana government, led by the TRS, for respecting Narasimha Rao. The state grandly celebrated his centenary, published numerous books about him, and honored his daughter, Vani Devi, with an MLC position. While Rao spent his entire life in the Congress party, it was the BJP and TRS governments that gave him due recognition.