Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday paid tributes to former prime minister P V Narasimha Rao on his birth anniversary, recognizing his rich contribution to the nation.

Modi said in a post on X, “I pay homage to former PM Shri PV Narasimha Rao Garu on his birth anniversary. He is remembered for his leadership and wisdom. It is our Government’s honour that we conferred the Bharat Ratna on him earlier this year, recognising his rich contribution to our nation.”

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Pamulaparthi Venkata Narasimha Rao was born on June 28, 1921. He was the ninth prime minister of India during the years from 1991 to 1996. His government did major economic reforms that saw the dismantling of what was known as license raj where entrepreneurs faced a lot of restrictions.

Rao was a veteran Congress leader who became the prime minister in 1991 after the assassination of former prime minister and party leader Rajiv Gandhi.

The Congress party also paid its tribute to Rao, calling him a distinguished statesman and crediting him with reinventing India.

“On his birth anniversary, we remember the former PM of India, P.V. Narasimha Rao, who introduced some noteworthy liberal reforms to the Indian economy. Today, we pay a humble tribute to Mr Rao, a distinguished statesman who reinvented India, both at home & abroad,” it said in a social media post.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said Rao’s contribution towards the economic transformation of India will always be cherished.

“Remembering Former Prime Minister, P. V. Narasimha Rao on his birth anniversary. His tremendous contribution towards the economic transformation of India and nation-building shall always be cherished,” he said.