A Bharat Ratna for P.V. Rao

After the Congress leadership abandoned former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao, most party members kept a safe distance from him for fear of annoying their bosses.

Update: 2016-10-08 19:43 GMT

After the Congress leadership abandoned former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao, most party members kept a safe distance from him for fear of annoying their bosses. Now that a fair amount of time has elapsed since Rao passed away, many party leaders are talking admiringly about Rao and the bold steps he took to usher in economic reforms. In fact, a former Congress minister in the Rao government, known for his proximity to the Gandhi family, admitted recently in a private conversation that he had suggested to former PM Manmohan Singh that Rao should be given a Bharat Ratna as he believed Rao had not got his due. Obviously, his proposal did not draw any response. What is interesting is that the senior party leader had no qualms in talking about his suggestion. This would have been unthinkable some years ago. However, many Congress leaders continue to nurse a grouse against Rao though they grudgingly acknowledge that he was the real hero of the 1991 reforms. Former finance minister P. Chidambaram (no fan of Rao) said as much recently while speaking after the release of Sanjaya Baru’s book, 1991: How P.V. Narasimha Rao Made History. But Mr Chidambaram was also quick to list Rao’s deficiencies and poke fun at him. Describing Rao as an enigmatic person, he said the former PM’s famous line to all was, “One day I’ll tell you why I did what I did.” That day never came, he added.

When Ashok Gehlot was Rajasthan chief minister, his government followed a standard drill regarding the gifts, which were to be given to visiting dignitaries and delegations. The present always included a copy of Mahatma Gandhi’s book, My Experiments with Truth and few khadi products which were packed in a khadi bag. In fact, his office was known to have a ready stock of such packages to avoid any last-minute rush with the purchases. But Mr Gehlot’s successor — Vasundhara Raje — is a study in contrast. She is giving her officers a tough time as they are often sent scurrying to pick up exclusive and expensive items, which she has spotted on her trips to the shops. But she is not easy to please. She often cannot take a final call on the items or she has them sent back which ensures that her officers are constantly on their toes. For instance, Ms Raje recently directed her office to purchase silk stoles but she is yet to give her approval. As a result, the consignment of 1,500 stoles has been lying in storage forthe past couple of months as Ms Raje takes her time to arrive at a decision.

Petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan has a serious problem at hand. Being low-key and conscientious is clearly not helping him. Back in his home state, Orissa, his junior, Sambit Patra, is giving him a tough competition. Even though he is far junior to him, the BJP spokesperson has become a recognisable face because of his frequent appearances on television. In Delhi, Mr Pradhan finds he’s not getting the same play in the media as his other Cabinet colleagues, despite the fact that he is handling a crucial ministry. When the BJP-led alliance came to power, ministers were instructed to use social media to inform the press about their ministry’s activities instead of interacting with journalists. But it is a different story now as ministers are being encouraged to give interviews to the media to publicise the Modi government’s achievements. But sadly, Mr Pradhan continues to lag behind his colleagues. Apparently, he is known to wonder why and how power minister Piyush Goyal has become such a favourite with theEnglish press as news reports about him and his ministry feature regularly in the media.

For years after it was set up in 2004, the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO), a specialised technical intelligence gathering agency, was always in the thick of controversies. It was not allowed to function by other intelligence agencies, which felt their powers were being undermined by the new organisation while it also faced charges of corruption and nepotism. The turf-war slowed down the formal notification of the organisation as a monitoring agency, as a result of which its functioning was seriously affected. But that appears to be in the past as the NTRO has now redeemed itself. The organisation played a key role in the recent surgical strikes undertaken by the Indian Army across the Line of Control in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. It was this agency which provided the vital satellite imagery detailing the exact location of the seven terror launchpads, which made it possible for the special forces to hit their targets with precision. There is all-round consensus that this information was crucial for the successful completion of the operation. Clearly a new star is born in the country’s intelligence firmament.

The writer is a Delhi-based journalist

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