P. V. Narasimha Rao

Date of Birth:	June 28 1921
Place of Birth:	Karimnagar, A.P
Date of Death:	December 23 2004
Place of Death:	New Delhi
Prime Minister of India
Tenure Order:	9th Prime Minister
Political party:	Congress (I)
Took office:	June 20, 1991
Left office:	May 16, 1996
Predecessor:	Chandra Shekhar
Successor:	Atal Behari Vajpayee

Pamulaparthi Venkata Narasimha Rao (June 28,1921 - December 23,2004) was the ninth Prime Minister of the Republic of India. He was often nicknamed Chanakya by the media.

After beginning his political career as an active freedom fighter, Rao served brief stints in the cabinet (1962 - 1971) and chief ministries (1971 - 1973) for the state of Andhra Pradesh. He then rose to the national level in 1972 by serving in several ministries, most significantly home, defence and foreign affairs (1980 - 1984), in the cabinets of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. He was the first PM from South India and Andhra Pradesh.

After the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi and the general elections of 1991, Rao was chosen to lead the Congress party, and when Congress won a plurality in parliament later that year Rao was invited to head a minority government. He was the first person outside the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty to serve as Prime Minister for five continuous years. He was also the first prime minister to lead a minority government for full term (five years).

Rao's initial years in the office were turbulent due to a severe shortage of foreign exchange reserves, a stagnant economy and political unrest. India faced a severe balance of payments crisis and Rao was instrumental in initiating free market reforms that helped end the "licence raj" that was a mainstay of India's post independance economic policy. Rao provided the much needed political will and support to his able financial minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and finance secretary Montek Singh Ahluwalia in pushing economic reforms. The Indian economy has grown by an average of 6.3% between 1991-2000, a growth rate that continues to be sustained with a predicted rate of 6.7% in 2005 (source: IMF World Economic Outlook). Rajiv Gandhi's gruesome assassination created a deep sense of insecurity and panic. Rao effectively steered the country out of that mode and put India on the threshold of 21st century.

He was often confronted by Hindu religious unrest and by opposition within his own party. In 1996 a corruption scandal rocked the government. When general elections were held in May, Rao and Congress were badly defeated, and he lost the prime ministership. He retained leadership of the Congress party until late 1996. After his tenure, Rao was charged in several bribery cases, the most famous among them being the one involving Harshad Mehta, although he was later acquitted on all charges.

A polyglot, Rao could read and write in 17 languages. He translated Jnanpith Award winner Viswanatha Satyanarayana's Telugu novel Veyi Padagalu (literally Thousand Hoods) into Hindi as "Sahasr Phan". Rao studied at Osmania University and the Universities of Mumbai and Nagpur, acquiring Bachelor's and Master's degrees in law.

Rao rarely spoke of his personal views and opinions during his 5 year tenure. After his retirement from Indian politics Rao published a novel named The Insider. The controversial book, which follows the career of a person as he rises through the ranks of Indian politics, resembled events from Rao's own life. Rao, however, denied any connection.

Rao suffered a heart attack in December 2004 and died at the age of 83.

Quotes

• "When I don't make a decision, it's not that I don't think about it. I think about it and make a decision not to make a decision."
• Inaction is also action.