![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Instead, he lasted the full five-year term turned the economy around brought normalcy to Punjab and stamped his authority by virtually cocking a snook at the real centre of power in the Congress. Rao was supposed to collapse soon - if not under his advancing age, then from pressure from multiple sources. The country faced a financial crisis of unprecedented proportion (gold had to be pawned to raise money), and militancy was squeezing the life out of Punjab. Although he had won many elections, he wasn’t the type to set the stage on fire - Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, who had worked closely with him, once said Rao had the “charisma of a dead fish”. The party that had selected him to head the national Government owed its allegiance to 10, Janpath and saw him as a stop-gap arrangement. His track record as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh (then undivided) and many years later as Union Cabinet Minister was mediocre. When Pamulaparti Venkata Narasimha Rao became the country’s Prime Minister, he came with few expectations. ![]()
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