‘Rao was neither an economic nor a social liberal,’ Why liberals are trying to destroy Narasimha Rao’s legacy

As the country celebrated the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao, the left-liberal ecosystem led the attack against the visionary leader. In the last few years, Modi government as well as KCR led Telangana government has tried to revive the legacy of the former Prime Minister, after Congress buried it deep because the man successfully took on the hegemony of the Nehru-Gandhi family in the party.

The left-liberal ecosystem, which do not like the fact that legacy of the man who Congress party has buried deep is being revived, started criticizing the former Prime Minister.

Mihir Sharma, the economist who was former opinion editor of Business Standard, and now a Modi government critique, shared an article written by him back in 2016 on Twitter.

The article, titled simply “Don’t praise Rao” argued that- On the 25th anniversary of reform, the former PM deserves remembrance, not praise. “Rao was neither an economic nor a social liberal, and he represents the worst of the cynical Congress, of deceitful Indian politics and of the weak ambivalence of the Indian state in the face of challenge,” concluded Sharma in the article that was very critical of Rao’s policies.

He blamed Narasimha Rao for 1984 Anti-Sikh riots as well as 1992 Babri Masjid demolition, passing “moral judgment” that, “Rao’s supposed achievements as the “architect of reform”, even were they true, could and should not overshadow the fact that he bears considerable direct responsibility for two of the darkest acts in our post-Emergency history.”

Another journalist of the left-liberal ecosystem, Puja Mehra, quoting Mihir’s tweet, wrote, “CC: Political analysts “What is particularly shameful, however, about calling Rao the “architect of reform” is that Rao did not just do the least he could — but he did it in a craven and dishonourable manner that has doomed the reforms process in the decades since.””

And when someone pointed about the Vinay Sithapathi’s wonderful biography of Rao- Half Lion- Mehra said that, “The book whitewashes so much. I am not a fan of it.” She also praised Mihir Sharma’s critical article as “fantastic”.

Economist Rathin Roy, who resigned from Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council and since then has vehemently attacked the Modi government’s policies, ‘liked’ tweets by Mihir Sharma and Puja Mehra.

The vehement attack of the left-liberal ecosystem against Narasimha Rao shows the visionary Prime Minister never got his due in India public memory. The left-liberal establishment, which leads India’s so called intellectual class- writer, journalists, and academics (incidentally Roy is academic while Sharma and Mehra are journalists and writers)- never liked the former Prime Minister who initiated the process of pulling India out of the clutches of socialism and narrow minded secularism.

Rao is much admired by the right-wing and BJP despite being a Congress party politician. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the first Prime Minister from BJP and a close friend of Rao, called the former Prime Minister Father of India’s nuclear program.

Again, after coming to power in 2014, PM Modi has regularly reminded the people of the country about the contribution of Rao in building New India.

“India is paying homage to one of her former prime ministers, who led the country through a critical phase. This day marks the commencement of the birth centenary year of our former PM P V Narasimha Raoji,” said PM Modi yesterday.

Rao played an important role in shaping India’s nuclear policy, foreign policy- Opening of relations with Israel and Look East- and of course, economic liberalization. The vile attack by the left-liberal ecosystem is an attempt to subverse the revival of the great leader’s legacy.