He taught me my politics: Manmohan

The scene at PV Narasimha Rao's 9 Motilal Nehru Road residence reflected his more than half a century in public life.

Top politicians and VIPs arrived to offer their condolences as soon as the news of his death filtered in. President APJ Abdul Kalam condoled the death of the former Prime Minister saying it was a great loss.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who along with Rao had ushered in the era of liberalisation in the Indian economy, was lavish in his praise of the former Prime Minister, calling him his political father. "Whatever politics I have learnt is because of him. When I was inducted into the Cabinet, I did not know much politics, even now I do not, but I learnt a lot from him," Singh said.

Singh hailed Rao as "an elder statesman, a unique phenomenon in Indian politics and father of economic reforms in India" and said his death was a "personal loss for me".

"Rao was a true patriot, a nationalist to the core, a visionary, a builder, a reformer and, without doubt, a statesman," Singh said. He said at a time when India was gripped by great national sorrow and a grave tragedy and a serious economic crisis, it was fortunate to reach out to an "elder statesman" like Rao.

Singh, who worked as finance minister in the Rao government, said, "He will forever be remembered as the father of economic reforms in India. Whatever I was able to achieve was because of his unstinted support." Apart from Jawaharlal Nehru there have been few others in Indian politics who were so well read. "He was a man of letters, a poly-linguist and a writer."

The Prime Minister has nominated the minister of state in the PMO, Prithviraj Chavan, to be the minister in attendance for assisting the Rao family in all arrangements related to the funeral, an official release said.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi, in her condolence message said that the country had lost a veteran parliamentarian, who played a long and industrious innings in politics, first in Andhra Pradesh and later at the national level. She added that his "rich contribution" to the country will be remembered.

Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in his condolence message, hailed Rao as the "modern Chanakya" and said his death marked the "end of an era".

Rao, the first Prime Minister from south India, had to face many difficulties in heralding reforms, he said, adding he won over difficulties and paved the way for a bright India.

The BJP leader said "Rao left his mark on the nation and guided the country through crisis." Praising him as "a great leader of modern India", Vajpayee said Rao pursued a foreign policy, which was acceptable to all.

Recalling his association with Rao, he said: "We looked towards him as a national leader. He had a broad vision and always strived for a consensus on policy issues." Vajpayee said Rao fought with difficulties all his life and the end also came in a fight with death.

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and BJP chief LK Advani also condoled the death.

Remembering Rao for the "singular contributions" he made to various spheres of national life, Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee said he deeply mourned the former Prime Minister's death. "We will certainly mourn his loss. He made singular contributions in different spheres of national life, both in his state and the country," Chatterjee said.

Recalling Rao's tenure as the Prime Minister, he said, "he presided over our country's affairs for so many years."

Expressing deep grief over the death, External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh recalled his days as a diplomat when Rao was the external affairs minister. "I had the good fortune to be associated with him as a diplomat, MP and again as minister of state for external affairs," he said.

Finance Minister P Chidambaram said "In the story of Indian liberalisation, it will be recorded that the invisible hand that guided reforms was that of Rao."

Railway Minister Lalu Prasad said Rao was an able administrator, a scholar par excellence and a statesman, who served the country for over four decades in various capacities of public life.

NCP chief and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar lauded Rao's contributions and described him a person who gave India a new economic direction. "Whenever the country remembers economic reforms, Rao would always be there", he said.

The initial reform impulse: Rao's first 100 days
1991 (Early June): Rao asks IG Patel to be his finance minister but Patel declines, giving the first indication Rao wants a technocrat.

June 21-22: Rao telephones Manmohan Singh and offers him the finance minister's job. A small council of ministers is sworn in. Rao summons key government secretaries to South Block and says the government is going to start over.

June 23: Rao tells an aide he is under pressure from the IMF, which wants subsidies cut and the rupee devalued.

June 27: Rao decides to announce a liberalisation package followed by subsidy cuts and price increases in the Budget. The rupee is to be devalued. The broad contours of the industrial policy are decided.

June 29: Manmohan Singh confers with Rao and signs a letter to the IMF agreeing to raise fertiliser, sugar and petroleum prices and to cut the fiscal deficit.

July 1: The RBI devalues the rupee by 9.5 per cent against the dollar.

July 3: The RBI devalues the rupee by 10.6 per cent against the dollar.

July 4: P Chidambaram announces the new trade policy.

July 7-12: The RBI ships over 30 tonnes of gold to the Bank of England.

July second week: At a Cabinet meeting several ministers oppose the new industrial policy. Rao says he will open the economy to foreign companies. Most ministers oppose this.

July second week: Rangarajan Kumaramangalam tells Rao's Principal Secretary, AN Verma, that he would like the asset ceiling on big business scrapped. Rao agrees.

July 18: India pledges more gold to borrow $400 million.

July 22: The IMF disburses a $221 million compensatory contingency financing facility loan. The World Bank provides $150 million as quick disbursement aid.

Mid-August: A supplementary trade policy is presented.

September 27: The government issues an MRTP Ordinance, abolishing the asset ceiling and removing restrictions on new undertakings, expansions, amalgamations and takeovers.