Congress forgets Telangana bidda PV on its birthday

Express News Service
First Published : 15 Nov 2010 01:57:32 AM IST
Last Updated : 15 Nov 2010 08:55:06 AM IST

HYDERABAD: The State Congress on Sunday once again proved its detractors right.

Party leaders were full of praise for the Gandhi family, right from Nehru down to Rahul, at the 125th birth anniversary celebrations of the party here but none referred to former prime minister the late PV Narasimha Rao -- a Telangana bidda.

His photo did not find a place among those of the Congress prime ministers on the dais. AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh, who delivered the inaugural address, ironically went ballistic against globalisation.

“Globalisation has caused economic recession and ruined the economies of various countries including the US.

Banks in the US collapsed and were given stimulus packages,” he said.

“If the country did not face economic recession, it is because of the ‘mixed economic policy’ of the country’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru. The mixed economy of Nehru is more relevant now,” he observed. It was a well known fact that it was PV Narasimha Rao who had liberalised the Indian economy and pulled it out of the rot.

No speaker, not even Chief Minister K Rosaiah, took the name of PV. All of them lavished praises on Gandhi, Nehru, Indira, Sonia and Rahul. Some of them, including Digvijay, recalled the services of the late YS Rajasekhara Reddy. The speakers even left out the name of AO Hume who formed the the party 125 years ago. Said PCC chief D Srinivas, “Amma (mother Sonia), the people are with you.. do not care for the comments made by RSS leader Sudarshan.” Rosaiah claimed that whenever the Congress became weak, the country became weak and stressed the need for strengthening the Congress. The Congress cannot be compared to any other party, he said, alleging that ‘regional and sub-regional’ parties had come into existence with the sole aim of capturing power.

Union Minister S Jaipal Reddy found the RSS philosophy “poisonous” and termed Sudarshan’s remarks against Sonia “thoughtless.” The former RSS chief had alleged that Sonia was a CIA agent who plotted the assassinations of Rajiv Gandhi and Indira.

Union Minister Panabaka Lakshmi, Congress seniors including K Keshava Rao, V Hanumantha Rao, Nadendla Bhaskara Rao and KVP Ramachandra Rao were present at the function.

The celebrations will conclude on November 19.