Former PM Narasimha Rao dead

       New Delhi: Former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao died of cardiac arrest at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here this afternoon. He was 83. The former Prime Minister, who was admited to the AIIMS on December 10 following chest pain and breathlessness and was undergoing treatment, suffered cardiac arrest at 11 a.m. His condition deteriorated thereafter and the end came at about 2.40 p.m. One of his sons Prabhakar Rao was at his bedside. While his wife had predeceased him, he leaves behind three sons, one of whom, PV Ranga Rao, was a minister in Andhra Pradesh, and five daughters. Rao, the first Prime Minister outside the Nehru-Gandhi family to complete a full five-year term in office between 1991 and 1996 had a history of heart problem and had undergone a surgery. Reports coming in said that a large number of people from all walks of life, including politicians cutting across party lines, were making a beeline for the hospital to pay their respects to the departed leader, a Congress stalwart of over six decades standing. Tearful scenes were witnessed at the hospital as well as at the official residence of the former Prime Minister - 9 Moti Lal Nehru Marg, as relatives, friends and close colleagues heard the news of Rao's passing. A pall of gloom also descended in Rao's hometown near Andhra Pradesh's Warangal District on hearing the news.

       President APJ Abdul Kalam, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, Congress party president Sonia Gandhi, former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee (a close friend of Rao), besides several cabinet ministers, expressed their shock and condolences to members of Rao's family on hearing the news of his death.

       Pamulaparti Venkata Narasimha Rao, who was the Prime Minister of the country from 1991 to 1996, was born in 1921. Rao studied at Osmania University in Hyderabad and at Bombay and Nagpur universities, earning the degrees of bachelor of science and bachelor of laws. He entered politics as a Congress Party activist working for independence from Britain. A politician, poet and a linguist par excellence all his life, Rao was active in the Indian National Congress during the struggle for independence from British rule and thereafter. He served as a minister in Andhra Pradesh from 1962 to 1971 and was the state's chief minister from 1971 to 1973 before his election to the Indian parliament in 1972. A member of the Congress since 1939, he was a Union cabinet minister in the governments of both Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi from 1980 to 1989, and served as India's Home and External Affairs Minister. After Rajiv Gandhi's assassination in May, 1991, Rao was chosen to lead the Congress party, and when Congress won the elections in the same year, he became the country's tenth prime minister on June 21, 1991. He used his nearly five-year-long tenure to move decisively toward free-market reforms, reducing the government's economic role, instituting austerity measures, and encouraging foreign investment. 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 on May 10, 1996. He, however, retained the leadership of the Congress party until late 1996. In 2000, Rao was convicted of conspiring to buy votes in parliament prior to a 1993 no-confidence vote, but the conviction was overturned in 2002. The last two years of his life were spent writing books and fighting several legal battles, in most of which, he was exonerated. Family and government sources said that Rao would be given a state funeral.

Seven days mourning declared for Rao (Go To Top)

      New Delhi: The government today declared seven days of state mourning for former Prime Minister P.V.Narasimha Rao, who died this afternoon of a cardiac arrest at the All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences. Rao was 83. Family sources were quoted as saying that the funeral arrangements would be decided in the next 48 hours.

Parliament adjourns following Rao's death (Go To Top)

      New Delhi: Both houses of the Indian Parliament adjourned on Thursday shortly after the news of former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao' death was announced in the House. In the Rajya Sabha, the Minister of State for Parliametary Affairs, Suressh Pachauri, got up to announce the death of the former Prime Minister to shocked members. There was absolute silence for a moment following which Chairman Bhairon Singh Shekhawat said he and the entire House were saddened by the news. The Chairman recalled the former Prime Minister's services to the country. The House observed a two-minute silence in the honour of the former Prime Minister following which the Chairman adjourned the House sine die. A similar tribute was paid to the departed leader in the Lok Sabha, effectively bringing an end to the 17-day winter session of Parliament.

Leaders mourn Rao's demise (Go To Top)

      New Delhi: Cutting across party lines, political leaders today condoled the death of former Prime Minister Narasimha Rao. Among the first to express regret over the news of his death was President A P J Abdul Kalam. Kalam, who is on a visit to Shimla, expressed his sorrow and grief over the death of 83-year-old Rao who breathed his last in New Delhi following a cardiac arrest. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who was the Finance Minister in the Rao government, also expressed his grief. Singh said he learned whatever he knew about politics from Narasimha Rao. "I found a father figure in him to whom I could turn in times of difficulty. He was major inspiration in what I did as Finance Minister of the country," Singh said after visiting Rao's bereaved family at their residence. "He was scholar statesman who had deep interest in literature, art and music. I always learned something new from him," Singh added. "Raoji was a true patriot, a nationalist to the core, a visionary, a builder, a reformer and, without doubt, a statesman," Singh said. The PM termed his death as a "personal loss".

      Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, in his condolence message, acknowledged the significant contribution made by Rao. Former Prime Ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee and V P Singh also condoled the death of their colleague. Vajpayee said that Rao could be compared to modern-day Chanakya, who steered the nation out of difficult times, while Singh said that the country has lost a great leader in Rao. Union HRD Minister Arjun Singh, the man who broke away from the Congress to form the Congress (T) when Narshima Rao was PM also spoke after his death. "He implemented many policies which had a positive effect on India's future. Today, after his death, we have lost a learned friend," Singh said.

       Meanwhile, the government has designated Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office, Prithviraj Chauhan, to oversee the funeral arrangements for the departed leader. Sources, however, said that a final decision on where the last rites would take place had been left to the family.

Sankaracharya's remand extended till January 6 (Go To Top)

      Kanchipuram: A city magistrate on Thursday extended the judicial remand of Kanchi Sankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati and seven others arrested in the Radhakrishnan assault case till January 6. The remand extension was effected by the 23rd Metropolitan Magistrate (Saidapet), Uma Maheswari, through video conferencing. The seer was formally arrested in the case on November 23, when he was already in judicial custody after being arrested in the Sankararaman murder case on November 11. He is lodged in the Vellore prison. In a related development, the Madras High Court today adjourned till December 27, the hearing on the bail application of the seer in the assault case. The bail plea came up for hearing before Justice R Balasubramanian in the Madras High Court today. The adjournment came after senior advocate, KTS Tulsi, appearing on behalf of the prosecution, sought time till December 27.

Naxalites blow up railway track in Bihar (Go To Top)

      Gaya: Suspected Naxalites blew up a railway track near Gurupa station of Gaya-Koderma section in Bihar early today. Heavily armed CPI (Maoist) activists targeted the down line near the station blasting the one-and-a-half meter stretch by detonating dynamite and bombs, said railway sources. This attack disrupted train movement, as many trains, including the New Delhi-Howrah and New Delhi-Sealdah Rajdhani Express, remained stranded at Gaya station for more than three hours. Senior police officials were camping at the spot and raids were on in surrounding areas. On Wednesday suspected CPI (Maoist) activists had set ablaze Karjara railway station on Gaya-Kiul section of the East Central Railway in Bihar.

Kerala Christians demand concessions for Jerusalem trip (Go To Top)

      Kochi: Kerala's Christian community are demanding special grants and travel concessions for undertaking a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and Bethlehem. This year, over 100 devotees have already left for the holy land from Kochi International Airport. "This is very exciting because I work with the Bible and we are going to the Bible land. We all look forward to this great experience," said Thomas, a devotee. But this rosy picture is there only for a scant few. Not all are able to undertake the trip because of a financial crunch. Representatives of the Christian community here are now demanding concessions for pilgrimage. "For many people, although it is a cherished dream to visit the holy land, money is a constraint. Foreign exchange is costly and formalities for visa and obtaining government permission is also a hindrance for their dream. I wish the government understands the problems of the Christians who wish to take a pilgrimage to the holy land to come forward and assist them financially," said Captain M P Curien. A visit to the Holy land of Jerusalem and Bethlehem is said to be a cherished wish of every Christian in his or her lifetime. Kerala has the largest numbers of Christians in India and is said to be Asia's cradle of Christianity.

      According to the 1991 census, Kerala had a population of 29,098,518 with an average density of 749 persons per square kilometre. Population of men - 1,42,88,995 and women- 1,48,09,523. The population of village area is 2,14,18,224 while that of the town area is 76,80,294. Largest populated district is Malappuram (30,96,330) and the lowest populated district is Wayanad (6,72,128) About 60 percent of population is Hindus, 20 percent is Christians and 20 percent is Muslims. Christian areas mainly are in the central part of the State. There have been Syrian Christians in Kerala since at least 190 A.D.