New Delhi: Vishwanath Pratap Singh, commonly known as VP Singh was the former Prime Minister of India and he served in that role from 1989 to 1990. Also, he was the 41st Raja Bahadur of Manda. The tenure of Singh as the PM of India was full of controversy and he oversaw a very tumultuous period in the country when a stable government was hard to find at the Centre. Today, on his death anniversary, we take a look at the life of the former PM of India.
Becoming the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh
Born on June 25, 1931, Singh was elected to the UP Legislative Assembly from Soraon in 1969 on the Congress ticket and became the chief whip. In 1971, he was elected to the Lok Sabha and became Deputy Minister of Commerce in the Cabinet led by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1974. He became the Minister of Commerce in 1976.
In 1980, he became the UP CM after Indira Gandhi came back to power at the Centre. He cracked down on dacoits, a problem which was gravely ailing Uttar Pradesh. He even offered to resign after saying that he had failed to root out the problem and received good national publicity. He oversaw the surrender of some of the most feared dacoits of the area but had to resign after the Behmai massacre which evoked national outrage.
VP Singh: A man of impeccable character
VP Singh was considered close to both Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. He sided with the Indian National Congress (Requisition) when there was a division in the Congress. Singh was called “Mr. Clean” due to his impeccable history and also because he opposed the Bofors deal corruption, which forced him to form his own party and fight the 1989 Lok Sabha Election. In the government led by PM Rajiv Gandhi, Singh served in many posts including Minister of Defence and Minister of Finance.
VP Singh: Becoming the Prime Minister of India
In 1988, Singh formed the Janata Dal party after merging various Janata Party factions. In the general elections held in 1989, the National Front fought with the support of the BJP and won. After Janata Dal formed the government, Singh became India’s 7th Prime Minister.
As the PM, Singh implemented the Mandal Commission report for the backward castes of India. Also, he created the Sixty-second Amendment and in 1989, enacted the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Act. The kidnapping of Rubaiya Sayeed and the exodus of Kashmiri Hindus took place during his tenure. He opposed the Ram Rath Yatra, leading the BJP to withdraw its support for the National Front. Singh’s government fell and he resigned on November 7, 1990. After 1996, Singh retired from political posts, and he passed away on November 27, 2008, at the age of 77.
The tenure of Singh as the PM of India was full of controversy and he oversaw a very tumultuous period in the country when a stable government was hard to find at the Centre. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
