HYDERABAD: Was a woman behind P. V. Narasimha Rao’s failure as the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh between 1969 and 19727 and was indecisiveness his hallmark even in those days? “Na Jeevitakatha’ memoirs of a former Andhra Chief Minister, Jalagam Vengal Rao that hit the market last week answer these questions in the affirmative.
Vengal Rao says his book contains the views of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Copies of the book released last week are hard to procure even as the library edition is going for a second printing. Vengal Rao has promised to bring out an English version of the book as well as a cheaper edition soon. According to him, Narasimha Rao was completely under the control of T. Lakshmikantamma, a woman MP (she won the Khammam seat each time between 1952 and 1967 and now leads a life of retirement). Rao was so helpless then that the administration had completely broken down, says the book. He was finally forced to resign when the Government imposed President’s Rule on January 1, 1973. Vengal Rap took over in December, 1973, and held office for the rest of the term. Rao, who was also Industries Minister in the Rajiv Gandhi cabinet, offers other suggestions of information in his memoirs that are sure to raise many eyebrows. He also recounts Certain observations Indira Gandhi made about Narasimha Rao to Vengal Rao during a confidential discussion in the first week of October, 1973 Gandhi is supposed to have said: “] have never seen a more incompetent and indecisive person than P.V. Narasimha Rao. I had high expectations from this man but he does as Lakshmikantamma bids.
Article extracted from this publication >> August 28, 1996
