Inder Kumar Gujral death anniversary: Know about the former PM of India

Inder Kumar Gujral death anniversary: Know about the former PM of India

New Delhi: Inder Kumar Gujral was an Indian politician, freedom activist and diplomat who served as the Prime Minister of India from April 1997 to March 1998. Born on December 4, 1919, in undivided Punjab in British India, he studied in colleges affiliated with the University of the Punjab. He took part in the Indian freedom struggle and was jailed during the Quit Indian Movement in 1942. He also became a member of the Communist Party of India during his student days.

Someone close to Indira Gandhi and role during the Emergency

In 1958, Gujral became the New Delhi Municipal Committee’s vice president and in 1964, he joined the Congress. He had a close relationship with Indira Gandhi and in April 1964, he became a Rajya Sabha member. Gujral was Minister of Information and Broadcasting during the 1975 Emergency. He was entrusted with the charge of the media when censorship was going on in India and was in charge of Doordarshan.
He served in the Rajya Sabha until 1976 and was also the Water Resources Minister. He became India’s Ambassador of India to the Soviet Union. It is said that he was shunted out of the ministry due to conflicts with Sanjay Gandhi over media censorship.

Joining the Janata Dal

In the 1980s, Gujral resigned from the Congress party in the 1980s and joined the Janata Dal. After the 1989 Indian general election, he became the Minister of External Affairs in the V. P. Singh government. During the Gulf War, he hugged Saddam Hussein as a show of good faith to ensure the safety of the Indian expatriates.
After the 1996 general election, he once again became the Minister of External Affairs in the United Front government of HD Deve Gowda. He also served as Union Minister or Minister of State of several other portfolios.

Becoming the Prime Minister of India

After the Congress withdrew support from the United Front government, the government collapsed in April 1997. To avoid mid-term elections, there was a compromise and the Congress agreed to support another United Front government under a new leader. Gujral was elected by the United Front as its new leader, and he became the Prime Minister on April 21, 1997, but his tenure in the office lasted for less than a year. He passed away on November 30, 2012, at the age of 92.

 Inder Kumar Gujral took part in the Indian freedom struggle and was jailed during the Quit Indian Movement in 1942. He also became a member of the Communist Party of India during his student days.   knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge