Telangana chief minister Chandrasekhar Rao has requested prime minister Narendra Modi to name Hyderabad Central University after former prime minister P V Narasimha Rao.
On Sunday – 28 June, the 99th birth anniversary of PV, as he is popularly known, CM Rao inaugurated the yearlong centenary celebrations.
In his Mann-ki-Baat address, PM Modi paid rich tributes to PV. “Today, we remember a great son of India, our former PM Shri Narasimha Rao Ji. He led India at a very crucial time in our history. He was a great political leader and was a scholar. Rao Ji belonged to a humble background. He fought injustice from a very young age. I hope many more Indians will read more about Rao Ji. He connected with India ethos and well-versed with western thoughts. Interested in history, literature, and science. One of India's most experienced leaders,” Modi said.
Rao described PV (1921-2004), who had also served as the chief minister of united Andhra Pradesh, as a 360-degree versatile personality whose prowess extended into several fields.
The CM said that he would be leading a delegation along with the family members of PV to New Delhi to urge upon the PM to make the government confer Bharat-Ratna posthumously on PV.
“There is a strong public demand in Telangana to name Hyderabad Central University after PV Narasimha Rao. I request the government of India through your good offices to name this institution as PV Narasimha Rao Central University of Hyderabad, which will be a fitting tribute to him during his birth centenary year,” Rao wrote to Modi on Sunday.
Incidentally, HCU, which ranks among the top educational institutions of the country, was set up in 1974 as a result of the then Telangana agitation, under the Six-point formula to address the imbalance in education infrastructure in Telangana.
“Although PV is recognized as a leader ushering in economic reforms, during the unprecedented 1991 economic crisis, bringing the stagnant economy on a high growth trajectory, PV at the same time was a multifaceted son of India, who contributed to the nation’s growth in several other crucial spheres too,” the CM further said praising PV’s contributions in the education sector.