Memorial, 5 statues as Telangana celebrates Narasimha Rao’s birth centenary

The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government is all set to kick off year-long birth centenary celebrations of former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao starting Sunday.

The arrangements are in full swing at Gyan Bhoomi - the samadhi of Narasimha Rao at Necklace Road in Hyderabad on the banks of Hussainsagar lake - for the centenary celebrations.

An official release from the chief minister’s office said the state government had earmarked Rs 10 crore for celebrations throughout the year. A committee, headed by Rajya Sabha member K Kesava Rao, had been constituted to conduct various programmes all through the year.

The official release said a memorial for Roa would be set up in Hyderabad on the lines of former President APJ Abdul Kalam’s memorial in Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu. Five bronze statues of PV would be installed at Hyderabad, Warangal, Karimnagar, Vangara (the birthplace of Rao) and Telangana Bhavan in Delhi.

“A portrait of PV should be kept in the Telangana state legislative Assembly,” the chief minister said.

He also announced a resolution would be adopted in the state assembly in its next session, recommending to the Centre to award Bharat Ratna to Narasimha Rao on the occasion of his birth centenary.

However, the state government’s decision to celebrate Rao through the year has angered a section of Muslim groups in the state.

Jamaat-e-Islami Telangana unit spokesman Hamid Mohammad Khan said the TRS government had hurt the sentiments of the Muslim community by deciding to celebrate Rao’s birth centenary throughout the year.

“It is a known fact that Narasimha Rao was responsible for the demolition of Babri Masjid in Ayodhya. He deliberately remained silent when the mosque was being razed. The Muslims of this country would never forget this historic mistake committed by him,” Khan told Hindustan Times.

The JeI spokesman alleged that the government wanted to exploit the Telangana sentiment and gain political mileage as the former PM hailed from the region.

Though they have no immediate plans to stage any protest rallies in the wake of prevailing Covid-19 pandemic, Khan said his organisation would write a letter to the chief minister conveying the sentiments of the Muslim community.

Majlis Bachao Tehreek (MBT) president Amjad Ullah Khan said by deciding to celebrate PV birth centenary celebrations, the TRS chief had shown his true colours and scant respect for the Muslims.

“Why did KCR own up a person like Narasimha Rao who had been disowned by his own party - the Congress. Why did he ignore the birth centenary celebrations of former chief minister Dr Marri Channa Reddy, who had played a key role in the first Telangana movement in 1969?” he asked.

The MBT leader alleged that KCR wanted to be in the good books of RSS which hold the former Prime Minister in high regard.

Interestingly, Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi, who had fought a battle for Babri Masjid in the last two decades, has not yet come out with any statement protesting the TRS government’s decision. Efforts to reach out to Owaisi seeking his reaction proved futile and he did not respond to the text messages either.