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The Deputy Chairman Rajya Sabha, Harivansh, delivered a lecture on the 'Life and Legacy of Chandra Shekhar' as part of the Prime Ministers Lecture Series at the Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya in New Delhi.
Recalling Chandra Shekhar's legacy in politics, Harivansh underlined that Chandra Shekhar was part of a rare breed of politician who was committed to his socialist ideology throughout his career, which spanned over six decades. Dy Chairman Rajya Sabha Harivansh said that he was a symbol of courage and conviction and displayed remarkable civility in his political discourse. Harivansh recalled the time of Chandra Shekhar as Prime Minister and how he almost resolved the long-standing dispute around the Ayodhya Ram Janmabhoomi. "Chandra Shekhar's government lasted only seven months, yet it made brisk efforts to solve this complex issue by bringing the two sides together and arranging the first official meeting between the VHP, the All India Babri Masjid Action Committee, and other key political leaders at the time," Harivansh said. "Had the Chandra Shekhar government lasted a little longer, he was certain that this would've been peacefully resolved. However, all this settlement news wasn't as pleasant to Congress at the time. Rajiv Gandhi and his advisors possibly panicked, and this certainly seemed a critical factor in the withdrawal of support for the government at the time," he said in the lecture. "When I was writing his biography, I found several commentaries from leaders at the time who acknowledged that only Chandra Shekhar could talk to the parties involved without any prejudice, and in return, he commanded their trust and respect as well. One reputed leader, in his autobiography, stated that both parties had agreed in principle to a land-sharing suggestion," he added. He added that Chandra Shekhar must also receive due credit for the initial hard work that went into averting a major financial crisis in 1990-91. While PV Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh later were recognised for India's liberalisation moment, the initial work of negotiating with IMF, and multilateral institutions and pledging gold from the country's gold reserves to prevent the country from going bankrupt was taken during the last few days of Chandra Shekhar's premiership. Many had criticised him for sacrificing the country's 'family jewels' at the time. However, several economists and experts, such as Montek Singh Ahluwalia and former RBI Governor C Rangarajan, remarked that it was a bold decision to prevent the country from defaulting. For him, the national interest always triumphed over all other concerns. Drawing parallels with today's times, Harivansh said that India's 1991 situation should serve as a reminder that profligate expenditures eventually hurt the country. "Today, for mere electoral results, parties are making unreasonable promises which more or less threaten to trap the states in a perennial debt cycle. Eventually, those debts build up and push the situation to the brink, where harsh decisions have to be taken," he further said. This lecture was the fourth edition of the series of sessions about the Prime Minister hosted by the Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya. Earlier, former President Ram Nath Kovind addressed a lecture on Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Governor Arif Mohammad Khan spoke on Jawaharlal Nehru, and author and journalist TN Ninan has addressed a lecture on Lal Bahadur Shastri. (ANI)
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