Finally, a memorial dedicated to ex-PM Narasimha Rao

Ten years after his demise, former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao, who was disowned by Congress and denied a memorial in Delhi by its government, has finally got his due respect in the form of a ‘samadhi’ here.

A memorial <g data-gr-id="18">ghat</g> is ready for Rao at ‘Rashtriya Smriti’, close to the memorials of all the former Presidents and Prime Ministers, a senior Urban Development Ministry official said. It has been made ready to coincide with the late leader’s birth anniversary, which was two days back.

Rao, who headed a Congress government between 1991 and 1996, was disowned by his party. After his death in 2004, the UPA government had denied memorial to him.

The UPA government, in fact, had gone further and decided in 2013 that there will be no more separate memorials for any leader, citing <g data-gr-id="20">paucity</g> of space. The memorial is raised on a plinth in marble with a plaque bearing text highlighting briefly his contributions. “Known as the scholar PM of India, Narasimha Rao was born on 28th <g data-gr-id="19">June,</g> 1921 in Laknepalli Village, Warangal District in Telangana. He rose to prominence as freedom fighter who fought the misrule of the Nizam during the <g data-gr-id="22">formulative</g> years of his political career,” the plaque reads.