Congress should learn from BJP how to treat its leaders

The entire nation is in a state of shock and is mourning the demise of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself has written a blog remembering Atal Ji. PM Modi writes, “The country and the world know Atal Ji as a statesman, fluent speaker, sensitive poet, thoughtful writer, sharp journalist and a visionary mass leader. But for me, his position was even higher. Not just because I had got the opportunity to work with him for many years but because of the deep impact he left on my life, my thinking ​​and values. His faith on me has formed me and taught me to stay firm (Atal) in every situation”. PM Modi walked approximately three kilometers from BJP headquarters to Rashtriya Smriti Sthal for the last rites of the ‘Ajatashatru’ of Indian politics. Many senior BJP leaders were also present in the funeral of Atal Ji. They gave proper respect and tribute to him unlike the Congress Party who treated its leader and former Prime Minister P.V Narasimha Rao with huge disrespect.

While mourning the loss of a much loved leader one cannot fail to notice the contrast with which both the leaders were treated by their respective parties after their death. Both of them are considered as great visionary leaders and reformist prime ministers. For Atal ji the entire nation is mourning and his party gave him solemn, warm tribute and proper respect which a person of his stature deserves. On the other hand, the Congress party badly treated former PM P.V Narasimha Rao after his death. His funeral was a humiliating affair. When he died in 2004, there were no arrangements made to receive the body and it was placed atop a platform for public darshan. No flowers were provided by the congress government. There was no shamiana neither any carpets. The congress president came for a couple of minutes and then vanished. The doors of AICC headquarters were not opened for him. According to The Economist report, Sonia Gandhi, the head of the Gandhi family, refused to allow his body to be cremated in Delhi. His family was forced to take the body to Hyderabad. Stray dogs reportedly tore at the remains of P.V Narasimha Rao’s partially cremated body. PV Narasimha Rao, the most underrated prime minister of India, a genius politician, a true statesman and the architect of economic liberalization had not received the kind of respect which he deserved in his last journey after his death. He was denied of what he rightfully deserved by his ungrateful party.

It is a shame that the current generation (or at least the most of it) doesn’t really know PV Narasimha Rao and identify his contributions to this great nation of ours. The congress top brass has made every possible effort to make sure that this man goes down in History as a nobody. After all PV Narasimha Rao changed the name of the Congress Party from Congress (Indira) to Bhartiya Rashtriya Congress (Indian National Congress) and rejected the candidature of Sonia Gandhi as the Congress President with this golden quote of his “Congress Party should be treated like a train where the compartments have to be attached to an engine belonging to the Nehru-Gandhi family or were there other alternatives?” In a speech to mark the 125th anniversary of the Congress, the party president Sonia Gandhi, praised contributions of all Congress prime ministers except PV Narasimha Rao.

Other example of injustice meted out to great leaders by the Congress includes the name of India’s first President Rajendra Prasad, who doesn’t have a Samadhi in Delhi allegedly because liberal Nehru hated him. But on the other hand, the perpetrator of the emergency, Sanjay Gandhi has a Samadhi in Delhi.

The Congress leader should learn something from the BJP. The BJP made proper arrangements for the funeral of the former PM of the country – Atal Bihari Vajpayee. His body was kept at his official residence at Krishna Menon Marg last night where leaders across the party line visited to pay their homage. Thousands of people gathered outside his house to pay their tributes to one of their beloved leader. Later on, his body was taken to the BJP headquarters at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg. His last rites were performed at the Rashtriya Smriti Sthal in Delhi.