Narasimha Rao had retired, packed his bags and returned to
                Hyderabad when fate willed otherwise. Chosen to lead the
                Congress after Rajiv Gandhi's assassination, he became prime
                minister of the last government to complete its term. Erudite and
                learned-BSc, LLB, Sahitya Ratna and a polyglot-but quite
                colourless, his prime ministership has been among the most
                controversial. He was accused of everything from bribing MPs to
                accepting Rs 1 crore from securities scamster Harshad Mehta. It
                was under his leadership that the Congress' fortunes dipped to a
                new low and in 1996 the party managed to win just 140 seats in the
                Lok Sabha, its lowest-ever tally. In late 1996, following his
                chargesheeting in the Lakhubhai Pathak case, Rao was forced to
                step down as Congress president as well as Congress
                Parliamentary Party leader.Educated in Pune and Nagpur, Rao
                became an AICC member in 1951. He was an MLA from 1957 to
                1977, minister for law and information, Andhra Pradesh (1962-64)
                and, later, chief minister. In 1977, he was elected to the Lok Sabha;
                in 1980 he became Union minister for external affairs, and Union
                minister for home affairs in '84. Has also been Union minister of
                defence, human resources development, and health and family
                welfare.Rao has authored several books, a work of fiction is on the
                way.

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