Prime Ministers of India
Prime Ministers of India
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Contents
Articles
Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru Gulzarilal Nanda Lal Bahadur Shastri Indira Gandhi Morarji Desai Charan Singh Rajiv Gandhi V. P. Singh Chandra Shekhar P. V. Narasimha Rao Atal Bihari Vajpayee H. D. Deve Gowda I. K. Gujral Manmohan Singh 1 6 27 30 38 48 52 56 66 75 78 89 100 104 109
References
Article Sources and Contributors Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors 122 126
Article Licenses
License 128
Emblem of India
Incumbent Manmohan Singh since19 May 2004 Style Mr. Prime Minister (Informal) The Honourable (Formal) Panchavati, New Delhi President of India The Prime Minister is by convention the leader of the victorious party. No term limits are imposed on the office.
Residence
Inaugural holder Jawaharlal Nehru 15 August 1947 Formation Indian Constitution 15 August 1947 Prime Minister's Office [1]
Website
The Prime Minister of India, as addressed to in the Constitution of India, is the chief of government, chief advisor to the President of India, head of the Council of Ministers and the leader of the majority party in parliament. The Prime Minister leads the executive branch of the Government of India. The prime minister is the senior member of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. The prime minister selects and can dismiss other members of the cabinet; allocates posts to members within the Government; is the presiding member and chairman of the cabinet and is responsible for bringing proposal of
Prime Minister of India legislation. The resignation or death of the Prime Minister dissolves the cabinet. The Prime Minister is appointed by the President to assist the latter in the administration of the affairs of the executive. The incumbent prime minister is Manmohan Singh, in office since 22 May 2004.
Prime Minister of India the Prime Minister may retain certain portfolios if they are not allocated to any member of the cabinet. The Prime Minister, in consultation with the Cabinet, schedules and attends the sessions of the Houses of Parliament and is required to answer the question from the Members of Parliament [8] to them as the in-charge of the portfolios in the capacity as Prime Minister of India.[9] Some specific ministries/department are not allocated to anyone in the cabinet but the Prime Minister himself. The Prime Minister is usually always in-charge/head of: Appointments Committee of the Cabinet; Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions; Ministry of Planning; Department of Atomic Energy; and Department of Space.
The Prime Minister represents the country in various delegations, high level meetings and international organizations that require the attendance of the highest government office [10] and also addresses to the nation on various issues of national or other importance.[11] They also have exclusive jurisdiction over disposal of two national funds, (i) the PM's National Relief Fund,[12] and (ii) the PM's National Defence Fund,[13] which they use at their discretion attain the objectives behind the establishment of these funds.
Selection process
Eligibility
from Article 84 of the Constitution of India, which sets the principal qualifications for member of Parliament, and Article 75 of the Constitution of India, which sets the qualifications for the minister in the Union Council of Minister, and the argument that the position of Prime Minister has been described as 'first among equals',[14] we can describe following qualifications for the Prime Minister of India. A Prime Minister must be: a citizen of India. should be a member of the Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha. If a person elected prime minister is neither a member of the Lok Sabha nor Rajya Sabha, then he must become a member of the Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha within six months. of above 25 years of age (in the case of a seat in the Lok Sabha) or above 30 years of age (in the case of a seat in the Rajya Sabha). A person shall not be eligible for election as Prime Minister if he holds any office of profit under the Government of India or the Government of any State or under any local or other authority subject to the control of any of the said Governments.
Oath
Oath of office: I, <name>, do swear in the name of God/solemnly affirm that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India as by law established, that I will uphold the sovereignty and integrity of India, that I will faithfully and conscientiously discharge my duties as Prime Minister for the Union and that I will do right to all manner of people in accordance with the Constitution and the law, without fear or favour, affection or ill-will. Constitution of India, Third Schedule, Part I Oath of secrecy: I, <name>, do swear in the name of God/solemnly affirm that I will not directly or indirectly communicate or reveal to any person or persons any matter which shall be brought under my consideration or shall become
Prime Minister of India known to me as Prime Minister for the Union except as may be required for the due discharge of my duties as such Minister. Constitution of India, Third Schedule, Part II
Remuneration
By Article 75 of the constitution of India, remuneration of the prime minister as well as other ministers are to be decided by the Parliament[15] and is renewed from time to time. The original remuneration for prime minister and other ministers were specified in the Part B of the second schedule of the constitution of India, which was later removed by an amendment.
Date established January 20, 2009 Salary in 2009 100000 (US$1810) Sources: PM India Salary in 2010 135000 (US$2443.5)
[16]
Facilities
Prime Ministerial Amenities
References
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] http:/ / pmindia. gov. in/ Section 75(5) of the Constitution of India "Prime Minister and the Cabinet Ministers" (http:/ / pmindia. nic. in/ team. htm). pmindia.nic.in. . Retrieved 2008-06-05. "Ministers of State (Independent Charge)" (http:/ / pmindia. nic. in/ mos_ind. htm). pmindia.nic.in. . Retrieved 2008-06-05. "Ministers of State (without Independent Charge)" (http:/ / pmindia. nic. in/ mos. htm). pmindia.nic.in. . Retrieved 2008-06-05. "(Allocation of Business) Rules 1961" (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20080430161837/ http:/ / cabsec. nic. in/ abr/ welcome. html). cabsec.nic.in. Archived from the original (http:/ / cabsec. nic. in/ abr/ welcome. html) on 2008-04-30. . Retrieved 2008-06-05. [7] "Cabinet Secretariat,Govt.of India" (http:/ / cabsec. gov. in/ ). cabsec.gov.in. . Retrieved 2008-06-05. [8] "Member of Parliament - Wikipedia" (http:/ / en. wikipedia. org/ wiki/ Members_of_Parliament#India). en.wikipedia.org. . Retrieved 2008-06-05. [9] "PM's answers to Parliamentary Questions" (http:/ / pmindia. nic. in/ parl. htm). pmindia.nic.in. . Retrieved 2008-06-05. [10] "Recent Visit of the Prime Minister" (http:/ / pmindia. nic. in/ visits. htm). pmindia.nic.in. . Retrieved 2008-06-05. [11] "Recent National Messages of the PM" (http:/ / pmindia. nic. in/ message. htm). pmindia.nic.in. . Retrieved 2008-06-05. [12] "PM's National Relief Fund" (http:/ / pmindia. nic. in/ relieffund. htm). pmindia.nic.in. . Retrieved 2008-06-05. [13] "PM's National Defence Fund" (http:/ / pmindia. nic. in/ fundnationalbody. htm). pmindia.nic.in. . Retrieved 2008-06-05. [14] Basu, Durga D. (2009). "11" (http:/ / www. lexisnexis. in/ d-d-basu-introduction-to-the-constitution-of-india. htm). Introduction to the Constitution of India. Nagpur, India: LexisNexis Butterworths Wadhwa Nagpur. p.199. ISBN978-81-8038-559-9. . [15] The Constitution of India, Article 75-6 [16] http:/ / pmindia. nic. in/ PM_Salary. pdf
External links
The Prime Minister of India (Official site) (http://pmindia.nic.in/) Former Prime Ministers of India (Official site) (http://pmindia.nic.in/former.htm)
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru
1st Prime Minister of India In office 15 August 1947 27 May 1964 President Rajendra Prasad Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
Governor General The Earl Mountbatten of Burma Chakravarti Rajagopalachari Deputy Preceded by Succeeded by Vallabhbhai Patel Position established Gulzarilal Nanda (Acting) Minister of Defence In office 31 October 1962 14 November 1962 Preceded by Succeeded by V. K. Krishna Menon Yashwantrao Chavan In office 30 January 1957 17 April 1957 Preceded by Succeeded by Kailash Nath Katju V. K. Krishna Menon In office 10 February 1953 10 January 1955 Preceded by Succeeded by N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar Kailash Nath Katju Minister of Finance In office 13 February 1958 13 March 1958
Jawaharlal Nehru
7
Preceded by Succeeded by Tiruvellore Thattai Krishnamachariar Morarji Desai In office 24 July 1956 30 August 1956 Preceded by Succeeded by Chintaman Dwarakanath Deshmukh Tiruvellore Thattai Krishnamachariar Minister of External Affairs In office 15 August 1947 27 May 1964 Preceded by Succeeded by Position established Gulzarilal Nanda Personal details Born 14 November 1889 Allahabad, North-Western Provinces, British India 27 May 1964 (aged74) New Delhi, India Indian National Congress Kamala Kaul Indira Gandhi Trinity College, Cambridge Inns of Court Barrister None (Agnostic atheism) [1][2][3]
Died
Jawaharlal Nehru (IPA:[darlal neru]( listen), 14 November 1889 27 May 1964[4]), often referred to as Panditji, was an Indian politician and statesman, a leader in the Indian independence movement, and the first Prime Minister of independent India. Nehru was elected by the Indian National Congress to assume office as independent India's first Prime Minister in 1947, and re-elected when the Congress party won India's first general election in 1951. He was one of the founders of the international Non-Aligned Movement. The son of moderate nationalist leader and Congressman Motilal Nehru, Jawaharlal Nehru became a leader of the left wing of the Congress. He became Congress President under the mentorship of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Nehru advocated Democratic Socialism/Fabian Socialism and a strong public sector as the means by which economic development could be pursued by poorer nations. He was the father of Indira Gandhi and the maternal grandfather of Rajiv Gandhi, who would later serve as the third and sixth Prime Ministers of India respectively.
Jawaharlal Nehru
Education
Nehru was educated by a series of British governesses and tutors until he was sixteen. He joined the Theosophical Society in India at age thirteen. He had Indian tutors who taught him Hindi and Sanskrit. Nehru grew up an atheist.[7] Nehru attended Harrow in England (190507) before earning an honours degree in natural science from the Trinity College in Cambridge University (190710).[8] Nehru qualified as a barrister after two years (191012) at the Inns of Court School of Law in London.[9]
Jawaharlal Nehru
When the British colonial administration outlawed the Congress party, Nehru went to prison for the first time. Over the next 24 years he was to serve another eight periods of detention. In all, he would spend more than nine years in jail.
Political apprenticeship
Nehru's political apprenticeship under Gandhi lasted from 1919 to 1929. He was elected general secretary of the Congress party for two terms in the 1920s. His first term began with the Kakinada session of the Congress in 1923. Along with Subhas Chandra Bose, Nehru was considered a radical within the party during his tenure as general secretary due to his rejection of dominion status for India in favour of complete independence. Nehru co-operated with Dr. N.S. Hardiker in founding the Hindustani Seva Dal in 1923. Nehru was elected chairman of the Allahabad Municipal Board in 1923.[14] Nehru's second term as general secretary began with the Madras session of the Congress in 1927.
Non-cooperation
The first big national involvement of Nehru came at the onset of the non-cooperation movement in 1920. He led the movement in the United Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh). Nehru was arrested on charges of anti-governmental activities in 1921 and was released a few months later. In the rift that formed within the Congress following the sudden closure of the non-cooperation movement after the Chauri Chaura incident, Nehru remained loyal to Gandhi and did not join the Swaraj Party formed by his father Motilal Nehru and CR Das.
Jawaharlal Nehru themselves against Franco. People of many countries volunteered to fight the fascist forces in Spain and formed the International Brigade. Nehru along with his aide V.K. Krishna Menon went to Spain and extended the support of the Indian people to the people of Spain. Nehru refused to meet Mussolini, the dictator of Italy when the latter expressed his desire to meet him. Thus Nehru came to be seen as a champion of freedom and democracy all over the world.[17][18]
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Republicanism
Nehru was one of the first nationalist leaders to realise the sufferings of the people in the states ruled by Indian Princes. He suffered imprisonment in Nabha, a Princely state, when he went there to see the struggle that was being waged by the Sikhs against the corrupt Mahants. The nationalist movement had been confined to the territories under direct British rule. Nehru helped to make the struggle of the people in the princely states a part of the nationalist movement for freedom. The All India states people's conference was formed in 1927. Nehru who had been supporting the cause of the people of the princely states for many years was made the President of the conference in 1935. He opened up its ranks to membership from across the political spectrum. The body would play an important role during the political integration of India, helping Indian leaders Vallabhbhai Patel and V.K. Krishna Menon (to whom Nehru had delegated the task of integrating the princely states into India) negotiate with hundreds of princes. In July 1946, Nehru pointedly observed that no princely state could prevail militarily against the army of independent India.[19] In January 1947, Nehru said that independent India would not accept the Divine Right of Kings,[20] and in May 1947, he declared that any princely state which refused to join the Constituent Assembly would be treated as an enemy state. During the drafting of the Indian constitution, many Indian leaders (except Nehru) of that time were in favour of allowing each Princely state or Covenanting State to be independent as a federal state along the lines suggested originally by the Government of India act (1935). But as the drafting of the constitution progressed and the idea of forming a republic took concrete shape (due to the efforts of Nehru), it was decided that all the Princely states/Covenanting States would merge with the Indian republic. Nehru's daughter, Indira Gandhi, de-recognized all the rulers by a presidential order in 1969. But this was struck down by the Supreme Court of India. Eventually, the government by the 26th Amendment to the constitution was successful in abolishing the Princely states of India. The process began by Nehru was finally completed by his daughter by the end of 1971.
Declaration of Independence
Nehru was one of the first leaders to demand that the Congress resolve to make a complete and explicit break from all ties with the British Empire. He introduced a resolution demanding "complete national independence" in 1927, which was rejected because of Gandhi's opposition.[21] In 1928 Gandhi agreed to Nehru's demands and proposed a resolution that called for the British to grant dominion status to India within two years. If the British failed to meet the deadline, the Congress would call upon all Indians to fight for complete independence. Nehru was one of the leaders who objected to the time given to the British - he pressed Gandhi to demand immediate actions from the British. Gandhi brokered a further compromise by reducing the time given from two years to one. Nehru agreed to vote for the new resolution. Demands for dominion status was rejected by the British in 1929. Nehru assumed the presidency of the Congress party during the Lahore session on 29 December 1929 and introduced a successful resolution calling for complete independence. Nehru drafted the Indian declaration of independence, which stated: "We believe that it is the inalienable right of the Indian people, as of any other people, to have freedom and to enjoy the fruits of their toil and have the necessities of life, so that they may have full opportunities of growth. We believe also that if any government deprives a people of these rights and oppresses them the people have a further right to alter it or abolish it. The British government in India has not only deprived the Indian people of their freedom but has based itself on the exploitation of the
Jawaharlal Nehru masses, and has ruined India economically, politically, culturally and spiritually. We believe therefore, that India must sever the British connection and attain Purna Swaraj or complete independence."[22] At midnight on New Year's Eve 1929, Nehru hoisted the tricolour flag of India upon the banks of the Ravi in Lahore. A pledge of independence was read out, which included a readiness to withhold taxes. The massive gathering of public attending the ceremony were asked if they agreed with it, and the vast majority of people were witnessed to raise their hands in approval. 172 Indian members of central and provincial legislatures resigned in support of the resolution and in accordance with Indian public sentiment. The Congress asked the people of India to observe 26 January as Independence Day. The flag of India was hoisted publicly across India by Congress volunteers, nationalists and the public. Plans for a mass civil disobedience was also underway. After the Lahore session of the Congress in 1929, Nehru gradually emerged as the paramount leader of the Indian independence movement. Gandhi stepped back into a more spiritual role. Although Gandhi did not officially designate Nehru his political heir until 1942, the country as early as the mid-1930s saw in Nehru the natural successor to Gandhi.
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Civil disobedience
Nehru and most of the Congress leaders were initially ambivalent about Gandhi's plan to begin civil disobedience with a satyagraha aimed at the British salt tax. After the protest gathered steam, they realized the power of salt as a symbol. Nehru remarked about the unprecedented popular response, it seemed as though a spring had been suddenly released.[23] Nehru was arrested on 14 April 1930 while entraining from Allahabad for Raipur. He had earlier, after addressing a huge meeting and leading a vast procession, ceremoniously manufactured some contraband salt. He was charged with breach of the salt law, tried summarily behind prison walls and sentenced to six months of imprisonment. Nehru nominated Gandhi to succeed him as Congress President during his absence in jail, but Gandhi declined, and Nehru then nominated his father as his successor. With Nehru's arrest the civil disobedience acquired a new tempo, and arrests, firing on crowds and lathi charges grew to be ordinary occurrences. The salt satyagraha succeeded in drawing the attention of the world. Indian, British, and world opinion increasingly began to recognize the legitimacy of claims by the Congress party for independence. Nehru considered the salt satyagraha the high water mark of his association with Gandhi,[24] and felt that its lasting importance was in changing the attitudes of Indians: "Of course these movements exercised tremendous pressure on the British Government and shook the government machinery. But the real importance, to my mind, lay in the effect they had on our own people, and especially the village masses....Non-cooperation dragged them out of the mire and gave them self-respect and self-reliance....They acted courageously and did not submit so easily to unjust oppression; their outlook widened and they began to think a little in terms of India as a whole....It was a remarkable transformation and the Congress, under Gandhi's leadership, must have the credit for it."[25]
Architect of India
Nehru elaborated the policies of the Congress and a future Indian nation under his leadership in 1929. He declared that the aims of the congress were freedom of religion, right to form associations, freedom of expression of thought, equality before law for every individual without distinction of caste, colour, creed or religion, protection to regional languages and cultures, safeguarding the interests of the peasants and labour, abolition of untouchability, introduction of adult franchise, imposition of prohibition, nationalisation of industries, socialism, and establishment of a secular India. All these aims formed the core of the "Fundamental Rights and Economic Policy" resolution drafted by Nehru in 1929-31 and were ratified by the All India Congress Committee under Gandhi's leadership.[26] However, some Congress leaders objected to the resolution and decided to oppose Nehru.
Jawaharlal Nehru The espousal of socialism as the Congress goal was most difficult to achieve. Nehru was opposed in this by the right-wing Congressmen Sardar Patel, Dr. Rajendra Prasad and Chakravarthi Rajagopalachari. Nehru had the support of the left-wing Congressmen Maulana Azad and Subash Chandra Bose. The trio combined to oust Dr. Prasad as Congress President in 1936. Nehru was elected in his place and held the presidency for two years (193637).[27] Nehru was then succeeded by his socialist colleagues Bose (193839) and Azad (194046). After the fall of Bose from the mainstream of Indian politics (due to his support of violence in driving the British out of India), the power struggle between the socialists and conservatives balanced out. However, Sardar Patel died in 1950, leaving Nehru as the sole remaining iconic national leader, and soon the situation became such that Nehru was able to implement many of his basic policies without hindrance. The conservative right-wing of the Congress (composed of India's upper class elites) would continue opposing the socialists until the great schism in 1969. Nehru's daughter, Indira Gandhi, was able to fulfill her father's dream by the 42nd amendment (1976) of the Indian constitution by which India officially became "socialist" and "secular".[28] During Nehru's second term as general secretary of the Congress, he proposed certain resolutions concerning the foreign policy of India.[29] From that time onwards, he was given carte blanche in framing the foreign policy of any future Indian nation. Nehru developed good relations with governments all over the world. He firmly placed India on the side of democracy and freedom during a time when the world was under the threat of fascism.[18] Nehru was also given the responsibility of planning the economy of a future India. He appointed the National Planning Commission in 1938 to help in framing such policies.[30] However, many of the plans framed by Nehru and his colleagues would come undone with the unexpected partition of India in 1947.
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Electoral politics
Nehru visit to Europe in 1936 proved to be the watershed in his political and economic thinking. Nehrus real interest in Marxism and his socialist pattern of thought stem from that tour. His subsequent sojourns in prison enabled him to study Marxism in more depth. Interested in its ideas but repelled by some of its methods, he could never bring himself to accept Karl Marxs writings as revealed scripture. Yet from then on, the yardstick of his economic thinking remained Marxist, adjusted, where necessary, to Indian conditions. When the Congress party under Nehru chose to contest elections and accept power under the Federation scheme, Gandhi resigned from party membership. Gandhi did not disagree with Nehru's move, but felt that if he resigned, his popularity with Indians would cease to stifle the party's membership. When the elections following the introduction of provincial autonomy (under the government of India act 1935) brought the Congress party to power in a majority of the provinces, Nehru's popularity and power was unmatched. The Muslim League under Mohammed Ali Jinnah (who was to become the creator of Pakistan) had fared badly at the polls. Nehru declared that the only two parties that mattered in India were the British Raj and Congress. Jinnah statements that the Muslim League was the third and "equal partner" within Indian politics was widely rejected. Nehru had hoped to elevate Maulana Azad as the pre-eminent leaders of Indian Muslims, but in this, he was undermined by Gandhi, who continued to treat Jinnah as the voice of Indian Muslims.
Jawaharlal Nehru
13
Jawaharlal Nehru During the period where all of the Congress leadership were in jail, the Muslim League under Jinnah grew in power. In April 1943, the League captured the governments of Bengal and, a month later, that of the North West Frontier Province. In none of these provinces had the League previously had a majority - only the arrest of Congress members made it possible. With all the Muslim dominated provinces except the Punjab under Jinnahs control, the artificial concept of a separate Muslim State was turning into a reality. However by 1944, Jinnahs power and prestige were on the wane. A general sympathy towards the jailed Congress leaders was developing among Muslims, and much of the blame for the disastrous Bengal famine of 1943-4 during which two million died, had been laid on the shoulders of the provinces Muslim League government. The numbers at Jinnahs meetings, once counted in thousands soon numbered only a few hundreds. In despair, Jinnah left the political scene for a stay in Kashmir. His prestige was restored unwittingly by Gandhi, who had been released from prison on medical grounds in May 1944 and had met Jinnah in Bombay in September. There he offered the Muslim leader a plebiscite in the Muslim areas after the war to see whether they wanted to separate from the rest of India. Essentially, it was an acceptance of the principle of Pakistan - but not in so many words. Jinnah demanded that the exact words be said; Gandhi refused and the talks broke down. Jinnah however had greatly strengthened his own position and that of the League. The most influential member of Congress had been seen to negotiate with him on equal terms. Other Muslim leaders, opposed both to Jinnah and to the partition of India, lost strength.
14
Teen Murti Bhavan, Nehru's residence as Prime Minister, now a museum in his memory.
Once elected, Nehru headed an interim government, which was impaired by outbreaks of communal violence and political disorder, and the opposition of the Muslim League led by Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who were demanding a separate Muslim state of Pakistan. After failed bids to form coalitions, Nehru reluctantly supported the partition of India, according to a plan released by the British on 3 June 1947. He took office as the Prime Minister of India on 15 August, and delivered his inaugural address titled "A Tryst With Destiny"
"Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance. It is fitting that at this solemn moment we take the pledge of dedication to the service of India and her people and to the still larger cause of humanity."[32]
Lord Mountbatten swears in Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru as the first Prime Minister of free India at the ceremony held at 8.30 am IST on 15 August 1947
Jawaharlal Nehru On 30 January 1948, Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi was shot while he was walking to a platform from which he was to address a prayer meeting. The assassin, Nathuram Godse, was a Hindu nationalist with links to the extremist Hindu Mahasabha, who held Gandhi responsible for weakening India by insisting upon a payment to Pakistan. Nehru addressed the nation through radio:[33] "Friends and comrades, the light has gone out of our lives, and there is darkness everywhere, and I do not quite know what to tell you or how to say it. Our beloved leader, Bapu as we called him, the father of the nation, is no more. Perhaps I am wrong to say that; nevertheless, we will not see him again, as we have seen him for these many years, we will not run to him for advice or seek solace from him, and that is a terrible blow, not only for me, but for millions and millions in this country."Jawaharlal Nehru's address to Gandhi[34] Yasmin Khan argued that Gandhi's death and funeral helped consolidate the authority of the new Indian state under Nehru and Patel. The Congress tightly controlled the epic public displays of grief over a two-week periodthe funeral, mortuary rituals and distribution of the martyr's ashesas millions participated and hundreds of millions watched. The goal was to assert the power of the government, legitimize the Congress party's control and suppress all religious para-military groups. Nehru and Patel suppressed the RSS, the Muslim National Guards, and the Khaksars, with some 200,000 arrests. Gandhi's death and funeral linked the distant state with the Indian people and made more understand the need to suppress religious parties during the transition to independence for the Indian people.[35] In later years there emerged a revisionist school of history which sought to blame Nehru for the partition of India, mostly referring to his highly centralised policies for an independent India in 1947, which Jinnah opposed in favour of a more decentralised India.[36][37] Such views has been promoted by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which favours a decentralized central government in India.[38] In the years following independence, Nehru frequently turned to his daughter Indira to look after him and manage his personal affairs. Under his leadership, the Congress won an overwhelming majority in the elections of 1952. Indira moved into Nehru's official residence to attend to him and became his constant companion in his travels across India and the world. Indira would virtually become Nehru's chief of staff.
15
Economic policies
Nehru presided over the introduction of a modified, Indian version of state planning and control over the economy. Creating the Planning commission of India, Nehru drew up the first Five-Year Plan in 1951, which charted the government's investments in industries and agriculture. Increasing business and income taxes, Nehru envisaged a mixed economy in which the government would manage strategic industries such as mining, electricity and heavy industries, serving public interest and a check to private enterprise. Nehru pursued land Nehru's study in Teen Murti Bhavan. redistribution and launched programmes to build irrigation canals, dams and spread the use of fertilizers to increase agricultural production. He also pioneered a series of community development programs aimed at spreading diverse cottage industries and increasing efficiency into rural India. While encouraging the construction of large dams (which Nehru called the "new temples of India"), irrigation works and the generation of hydroelectricity, Nehru also launched India's programme to harness nuclear energy. For most of Nehru's term as prime minister, India would continue to face serious food shortages despite progress and increases in agricultural production. Nehru's industrial policies, summarised in the Industrial Policy Resolution of 1956, encouraged the growth of diverse manufacturing and heavy industries,[39] yet state planning, controls and
Jawaharlal Nehru regulations began to impair productivity, quality and profitability. Although the Indian economy enjoyed a steady rate of growth at 2.5% per annum (mocked by leftist economist Raj Krishna as a "Hindu rate of growth"), chronic unemployment amidst widespread poverty continued to plague the population.ff D. D. Kosambi, a well-known Marxist historian, criticized Nehru in his article for the bourgeoisie class exploitation of Nehru's socialist ideology. Nehru was accused of promoting capitalism in the guise of democratic socialism among other things.[40] Land and agrarian reform Under Nehrus leadership, the government attempted to develop India quickly by embarking on agrarian reform and rapid industrialization. A successful land reform was introduced that abolished giant landholdings, but efforts to redistribute land by placing limits on landownership failed. Attempts to introduce large-scale cooperative farming were frustrated by landowning rural elites, who formed the core of the powerful right-wing of the Congress and had considerable political support in opposing the efforts of Nehru. Agricultural production expanded until the early 1960s, as additional land was brought under cultivation and some irrigation projects began to have an effect. The establishment of agricultural universities, modeled after land-grant colleges in the United States, contributed to the development of the economy. These universities worked with high-yielding varieties of wheat and rice, initially developed in Mexico and the Philippines, that in the 1960s began the Green Revolution, an effort to diversify and increase crop production. At the same time a series of failed monsoons would cause serious food shortages despite the steady progress and increase in agricultural production.[39]
16
Domestic policies
States reorganisation The British Indian Empire, which included present-day India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, was divided into two types of territories: the Provinces of British India, which were governed directly by British officials responsible to the Governor-General of India; and princely states, under the rule of local hereditary rulers who recognised British suzerainty in return for local autonomy, in most cases as established by treaty. Between 1947 and about 1950, the territories of the princely states were politically integrated into the Indian Union under Nehru and Sardar Patel. Most were merged into existing provinces; others were organised into new provinces, such as Rajputana, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Bharat, and Vindhya Pradesh, made up of multiple princely states; a few, including Mysore, Hyderabad, Bhopal, and Bilaspur, became separate provinces. The Government of India Act 1935 remained the constitutional law of India pending adoption of a new Constitution. The new Constitution of India, which came into force on 26 January 1950, made India a sovereign democratic republic. Nehru declared the new republic to be a "Union of States". The constitution of 1950 distinguished between three main types of states: Part A states, which were the former governors' provinces of British India, were ruled by an elected governor and state legislature. The Part B states were former princely states or groups of princely states, governed by a rajpramukh, who was usually the ruler of a constituent state, and an elected legislature. The rajpramukh was appointed by the President of India. The Part C states included both the former chief commissioners' provinces and some princely states, and each was governed by a chief commissioner appointed by the President of India. The sole Part D state was the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which were administered by a lieutenant governor appointed by the central government. In December 1953, Nehru appointed the States Reorganisation Commission to prepare for the creation of states on linguistic lines. This was headed by Justice Fazal Ali and the commission itself was also known as the Fazal Ali Commission. The efforts of this commission were overseen by Govind Ballabh Pant, who served as Nehru's Home Minister from December 1954. The commission created a report in 1955 recommending the reorganisation of India's states. Under the Seventh Amendment, the existing distinction between Part A, Part B, Part C, and Part D states was abolished. The distinction between Part A and Part B states was removed, becoming known simply as "states". A
Jawaharlal Nehru new type of entity, the union territory, replaced the classification as a Part C or Part D state. Nehru stressed commonality among Indians and promoted pan-Indianism. He refused to reorganise states on either religious or ethnic lines. Western scholars have mostly praised Nehru for the integration of the states into a modern republic but the act was not accepted universally in India.
17
Nehru with schoolchildren at the Durgapur Steel Plant. Durgapur along with Rourkela and Bhilai were the three integrated steel plants set up under India's Second Five-Year Plan in the late 1950s.
Under Nehru, the Indian Parliament enacted many changes to Hindu law to criminalize caste discrimination and increase the legal rights and social freedoms of women.[41][42][43][44] A system of reservations in government services and educational institutions was created to eradicate the social inequalities and disadvantages faced by peoples of the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. Nehru also championed secularism and religious harmony, increasing the representation of minorities in government. Nehru specifically wrote Article 44 of the Indian constitution under the Directive Principles of State Policy which states : 'The State shall endeavour to secure for the citizens a uniform civil code throughout the territory of India.' The article has formed the basis of secularism in India.[45] However, Nehru has been criticized for the inconsistent application of the law. Most notably, Nehru allowed Muslims to keep their personal law in matters relating to marriage and inheritance. Also in the small state of Goa, a civil code based on the old Portuguese Family Laws was allowed to continue, and Muslim Personal law was prohibited by Nehru. This was the result of the annexation of Goa in 1961 by India, when Nehru promised the people that their laws would be left intact. This has led to accusations of selective secularism. While Nehru exempted Muslim law from legislation and they remained un-reformed, he did pass the Special Marriage Act in 1954. The idea behind this act was to give everyone in India the ability to marry outside the personal law under a civil marriage. As usual the law applied to all of India, except Jammu and Kashmir (again leading to accusations of selective secularism). In many respects, the act was almost identical to the Hindu Marriage Act of 1955, which gives some idea as to how secularized the law regarding Hindus had become. The Special Marriage Act allowed Muslims to marry under it and thereby retain the protections, generally beneficial to Muslim women, that could not be found in the personal law. Under the act polygamy was illegal, and inheritance and succession would be governed by the Indian Succession Act, rather than the respective Muslim Personal Law. Divorce also would be governed by the secular law, and maintenance of a divorced wife would be along the lines set down in the civil law. Nehru led the faction of the Congress party which promoted Hindi as the ligua-franca of the Indian nation. After an exhaustive and divisive debate with the non-Hindi speakers, Hindi was adopted as the official language of India in 1950 with English continuing as an associate official language for a period of fifteen years, after which Hindi would
Jawaharlal Nehru become the sole official language. Efforts by the Indian Government to make Hindi the sole official language after 1965 were not acceptable to many non-Hindi Indian states, who wanted the continued use of English. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), a descendant of Dravidar Kazhagam, led the opposition to Hindi. To allay their fears, Nehru enacted the Official Languages Act in 1963 to ensure the continuing use of English beyond 1965. The text of the Act did not satisfy the DMK and increased their skepticism that his assurances might not be honoured by future administrations. The issue was resolved during the premiership of Lal Bahadur Shastri, who under great pressure from Nehru's daughter, Indira Gandhi, was made to give assurances that English would continue to be used as the official language as long the non-Hindi speaking states wanted. The Official Languages Act was eventually amended in 1967 by the Congress Government headed by Indira Gandhi to guarantee the indefinite use of Hindi and English as official languages. This effectively ensured the current "virtual indefinite policy of bilingualism" of the Indian Republic.
18
Jawaharlal Nehru "Professor Bhabha take care of Physics, leave international relation to me".[49] From the outset in 1948, Nehru had high ambition to develop this program to stand against the industrialized states and the basis of this program was to establish an Indian nuclear weapons capability as part of India's regional superiority to other South-Asian states, most particularly Pakistan.[49] Nehru also told Bhabha, later it was told by Bhabha to Raja Rammanna that, "We must have the capability. We should first prove ourselves and then talk of Gandhi, non-violence and a world without nuclear weapons.[49] " Nehru was hailed by many for working to defuse global tensions and the threat of nuclear weapons after the Korean war (19501953).[50] He commissioned the first study of the human effects of nuclear explosions, and campaigned ceaselessly for the abolition of what he called "these frightful engines of destruction." He also had pragmatic reasons for promoting de-nuclearisation, fearing that a nuclear arms race would lead to over-militarisation that would be unaffordable for developing countries such as his own.[51] Nehru ordered the arrest of the Kashmiri politician Sheikh Abdullah in 1953, whom he had previously supported but now suspected of harbouring separatist ambitions; Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad replaced him.
Jawaharlal Nehru (right) with Muhammad Ali Bogra, Prime Minister of Pakistan (left), during his 1953 visit to Karachi
19
In 1954 Nehru signed with China the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, known in India as the Panchsheel (from the Sanskrit words, panch:five, sheel:virtues), a set of principles to govern relations between the two states. Their first formal codification in treaty form was in an agreement between China and India in 1954. They were enunciated in the preamble to the "Agreement (with exchange of notes) on trade and intercourse between Tibet Region of China and India", which was signed at Peking on 29 April 1954. Negotiations took place in Delhi from December 1953 to April 1954 between the Delegation of the PRC Government and the Delegation of the Indian Government on the relations between the two countries with respect to the disputed territories of Aksai Chin and South Tibet. The treaty was disregared in the 1960s, but in the 1970s, the Five Principles again came to be seen as important in Sino-Indian relations, and more generally as norms of relations between states. They became widely recognized and accepted throughout the region during the premiership of Indira Gandhi and the 3 year rule of the Janata Party (19771980).[52] In 1956 Nehru had criticised the joint invasion of the Suez Canal by the British, French and Israelis. The role of Nehru, both as Indian Prime minister and a leader of the Non Aligned Movement was significant; he tried to be even-handed between the two sides, while denouncing Eden and co-sponsors of the aggression vigorously. Nehru had a powerful ally in the US president Dwight Eisenhower who, if relatively silent publicly, went to the extent of using Americas clout in the IMF to make Britain and France back down. The episode greatly raised the prestige of Nehru and India amongst the third world nations. During the Suez crisis, Nehru's right hand man, Menon attempted to persuade a recalcitrant Gamal Nasser to compromise with the West, and was instrumental in moving Western powers towards an awareness that Nasser might prove willing to compromise. In 1957, Menon was instructed to deliver an unprecedented eight-hour speech defending Indias stand on Kashmir; to date, the speech is the longest ever delivered in the United Nations Security Council, covering five hours of the 762nd meeting on the 23 of January, and two hours and forty-eight minutes on the 24th, reportedly concluding with Menon's collapse on the Security Council floor. During the filibuster, Nehru moved swiftly and successfully to consolidate Indian power in Kashmir (then under great unrest). Menon's passionate defense of Indian sovereignty in Kashmir enlarged his base of support in India, and led to the Indian press temporarily dubbing him the 'Hero of Kashmir'. Nehru was then at the peak of his popularity in India; the only (minor) criticism came from the
Jawaharlal Nehru far-right.[53][54] The USA had hoped to court Nehru after its intervention in favour of Nasser during the Suez crisis. However, cold war suspicions and the American distrust of Nehruvian socialism cooled relations between India and the U.S., which suspected Nehru of tacitly supporting the Soviet Union. Nehru maintained good relations with Britain even after the Suez Crisis. Nehru accepted the arbitration of the UK and World Bank, signing the Indus Water Treaty in 1960 with Pakistani ruler Ayub Khan to resolve long-standing disputes about sharing the resources of the major rivers of the Punjab region. Although the Pancha Sila (Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence) was the basis of the 1954 Sino-Indian border treaty, in later years, Nehru's foreign policy suffered through increasing Chinese assertiveness over border disputes and Nehru's decision to grant political asylum to the 14th Dalai Lama. After years of failed negotiations, Nehru authorized the Indian Army to liberate Goa in 1961 from Portuguese occupation, and then he formally annexed it to India. It increased his popularity in India, but he was criticized by the communist oppposition in India for the use of military force. The use of military force against Portugal earned him goodwill amongst the right-wing and far-right groups. However, this goodwill was to be lost with India's tactical defeat in the 1962 war with China. From 1959, in a process that accelerated in 1961, Nehru adopted the "Forward Policy" of setting up military outposts in disputed areas of Krishna Menon, routinely referred to by western the Sino-Indian border, including in 43 outposts in territory not publications as "Nehru's Evil Genius". He was previously controlled by India.[55] China attacked some of these described as the second most powerful man in outposts, and thus the Sino-Indian War began, which India technically India by Time magazine and others. lost, but China gained no territory as it withdrew to pre-war lines due to a Soviet veto. The war exposed the weaknesses of India's military, and Nehru was widely criticised for his government's insufficient attention to defence. In response, Nehru sacked the defence minister Krishna Menon and sought U.S. military aid. Nehru's improved relations with USA under John F. Kennedy proved useful during the war, as in 1962, President of Pakistan (then closely aligned with the Americans) Ayub Khan was made to guarantee his neutrality in regards to India, who was threatened by "communist aggression from Red China."[56] The Indian relationship with the Soviet Union, criticized by right-wing groups supporting free-market policies was also seemingly validated. Nehru would continue to maintain his commitment to the non-aligned movement despite calls from some to settle down on one permanent ally. The aftermath of the war saw sweeping changes in the Indian military to prepare it for similar conflicts in the future, and placed pressure on Nehru, who was seen as responsible for failing to anticipate the Chinese attack on India. Under American advice (by American envoy John Kenneth Galbraith who made and ran American policy on the war as all other top policy makers in USA were absorbed in coincident Cuban Missile Crisis) Nehru refrained, not according to the best choices available, from using the Indian air force to beat back the Chinese advances. The CIA later revealed that at that time the Chinese had neither the fuel nor runways long enough for using their air force effectively in Tibet. Indians in general became highly sceptical of China and its military. Many Indians view the war as a betrayal of India's attempts at establishing a long-standing peace with China and started to question Nehru's usage of the term "Hindi-Chini bhai-bhai" (meaning "Indians and Chinese are brothers"). The war also put an end to Nehru's earlier hopes that India and China would form a strong Asian Axis to counteract the increasing influence of the Cold War bloc superpowers.[57] The unpreparedness of the army was blamed on Defence Minister Menon, who "resigned" his government post to allow for someone who might modernise India's military further. India's policy of weaponisation via indigenous
20
Jawaharlal Nehru sources and self-sufficiency began in earnest under Nehru, completed by his daughter Indira Gandhi, who later led India to a crushing military victory over rival Pakistan in 1971. Toward the end of the war India had increased her support for Tibetan refugees and revolutionaries, some of them having settled in India, as they were fighting the same common enemy in the region. Nehru ordered the raising of an elite Indian-trained "Tibetan Armed Force" composed of Tibetan refugees, which served with distinction in future wars against Pakistan in 1965 and 1971.[58] During the conflict, Nehru wrote two desperate letters to U.S. President John F. Kennedy, requesting 12 squadrons of fighter jets and a modern radar system. These jets were seen as necessary to beef up Indian air strength so that air to air combat could be initiated safely from the Indian perspective (bombing troops was seen as unwise for fear of Chinese retaliatory action). Nehru also asked that these aircraft be manned by American pilots until Indian airmen were trained to replace them. These requests were rejected by the Kennedy Administration (which was involved in the Cuban Missile Crisis during most of the Sino-Indian War), leading to a cool down in Indo-US relations. According to former Indian diplomat G Parthasarathy, "only after we got nothing from the US did arms supplies from the Soviet Union to India commence."[59]
21
Nehru with Ashoke Kumar Sen, S. Radhakrishnan and Bidhan Chandra Roy
independent of her father.[4] In the 1962 elections, Nehru led the Congress to victory yet with a diminished majority. Communist and socialist parties were the main beneficiaries although some right wing groups like Bharatiya Jana Sangh also did well.
Jawaharlal Nehru
22 Nehru's health began declining steadily after 1962, and he spent months recuperating in Kashmir through 1963. Some historians attribute this dramatic decline to his surprise and chagrin over the Sino-Indian War, which he perceived as a betrayal of trust.[61] Upon his return from Kashmir in May 1964, Nehru suffered a stroke and later a heart attack. He was "taken ill in early hours" of 27 May 1964 and died in "early afternoon" on same day, and his death was announced to Lok Sabha at 1400 local time; cause of death is believed to be heart attack.[62] Nehru was cremated in accordance with Hindu rites at the Shantivana on the banks of the Yamuna River, witnessed by hundreds of thousands of mourners who had flocked into the streets of Delhi and the cremation grounds.
Prime Minister Nehru talks with United Nations General Assembly President Romulo (October 1949).
Nehru, the man and politician made such a powerful imprint on India that his death on 27 May 1964, left India with no clear political heir to his leadership (although his daughter was widely expected to succeed him before she turned it down in favour of Shastri). Indian newspapers repeated Nehru's own words of the time of Gandhi's assassination: "The light has gone out of our lives and there is darkness everywhere."
Legacy
As India's first Prime minister and external affairs minister, Jawaharlal Nehru played a major role in shaping modern India's government and political culture along with sound foreign policy. He is praised for creating a system providing universal primary education, reaching children in the farthest corners of rural India. Nehru's education policy is also credited for the development of world-class educational institutions such as the All India Institute of Medical Sciences,[63] Indian Institutes of Technology,[64] and the Indian Institutes of Management.
"Nehru was a great man... Nehru gave to Indians an image of themselves that I don't think others might have succeeded in doing." Sir Isaiah Berlin
[65]
In addition, Nehru's stance as an unfailing nationalist led him to also implement policies which stressed commonality among Indians while still appreciating regional diversities. This proved particularly important as post-Independence differences surfaced since British withdrawal from the subcontinent prompted regional leaders to no longer relate to one another as allies against a common adversary. While differences of culture and, especially, language threatened the unity of the new nation, Nehru established programs such as the National Book Trust and the National Literary Academy which promoted the translation of regional literatures between languages and also organized the transfer of materials between regions. In pursuit of a single, unified India, Nehru warned, "Integrate or perish."[66]
Jawaharlal Nehru
23
Commemoration
In his lifetime, Jawaharlal Nehru enjoyed an iconic status in India and was widely admired across the world for his idealism and statesmanship. His birthday, 14 November, is celebrated in India as Baal Divas ("Children's Day") in recognition of his lifelong passion and work for the welfare, education and development of children and young people. Children across India remember him as Chacha Nehru (Uncle Nehru). Nehru remains a popular symbol of the Congress Party which frequently celebrates his memory. Congress leaders and activists often emulate his style of clothing, especially the Gandhi cap and the "Nehru Jacket", and his mannerisms. Nehru's ideals and policies continue to shape the Congress Party's manifesto and core political philosophy. An emotional attachment to his legacy was instrumental in the rise of his daughter Indira to leadership of the Congress Party and the national government. Nehru's personal preference for the sherwani ensured that it continues to be considered formal wear in North India today; aside from lending his name to a kind of cap, the Nehru jacket is named in his honour due to his preference for that style. Numerous public institutions and memorials across India are dedicated to Nehru's memory. The Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi is among the most prestigious universities in India. The Jawaharlal Nehru Port near the city of Mumbai is a modern port and dock designed to handle a huge cargo and traffic load. Nehru's residence in Delhi is preserved as the Teen Murti House now has Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, and one of five Nehru Planetariums that were set in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Allahabad and Pune. The complex also Jawaharlal Nehru on a 1989 USSR houses the offices of the 'Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund', commemorative stamp. established in 1964 under the Chairmanship of Dr S. Radhakrishnan, then President of India. The foundation also gives away the prestigious 'Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fellowship', established in 1968.[67] The Nehru family homes at Anand Bhavan and Swaraj Bhavan are also preserved to commemorate Nehru and his family's legacy.
In popular culture
Many documentaries about Nehru's life have been produced. He has also been portrayed in fictionalised films. The canonical performance is probably that of Roshan Seth, who played him three times: in Richard Attenborough's 1982 film Gandhi, Shyam Benegal's 1988 television series Bharat Ek Khoj, based on Nehru's The Discovery of India, and in a 2007 TV film entitled The Last Days of the Raj.[68] In Ketan Mehta's film Sardar, Nehru was portrayed by Benjamin Gilani. Girish Karnad's historical play, Tughlaq (1962) is an allegory about the Nehruvian era. It was staged by Ebrahim Alkazi with National School of Drama Repertory at Purana Qila, Delhi in 1970s and later at the Festival of India, London in 1982.[69][70]
Jawaharlal Nehru
24
Writings
Nehru was a prolific writer in English and wrote a number of books, such as The Discovery of India, Glimpses of World History, and his autobiography, Toward Freedom.
Awards
In 1955 Nehru was awarded Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour.[71]
References
[1] "The Montreal Gazette" (http:/ / news. google. co. in/ newspapers?id=LZotAAAAIBAJ& sjid=jp4FAAAAIBAJ& pg=7168,1579610). Google News Archive. 9 June 1964. p.4. . [2] Ramachandra Guha (23 September 2003). "Inter-faith Harmony: Where Nehru and Gandhi Meet Times of India" (http:/ / timesofindia. indiatimes. com/ home/ opinion/ edit-page/ LEADER-ARTICLEBRInter-faith-Harmony-Where-Nehru-and-Gandhi-Meet/ articleshow/ 196028. cms). The Times Of India. . [3] In Jawaharlal Nehru's autobiography, An Autobiography (1936), and in the Last Will & Testament of Jawaharlal Nehru, in Selected Works of Jawaharlal Nehru, 2nd series, vol. 26, p. 612, [4] Marlay, Ross; Clark D. Neher (1999). Patriots and Tyrants: Ten Asian Leaders (http:/ / books. google. com/ ?id=7i0jGxysUUcC& pg=PA368). Rowman & Littlefield. p.368. ISBN0-8476-8442-3. . [5] Moraes 2008, p.210 [6] Moraes 2008, p.4 [7] Moraes 2008, p.29 [8] Moraes 2008, p.43 [9] Moraes 2008, p.47 [10] "Nehru-Edwina were in love: Edwina's daughter" (http:/ / www. expressindia. com/ news/ fullstory. php?newsid=89537). The Indian Express. 15 July 2007. . Retrieved 21 May 2010. [11] In Jawaharlal Nehru's autobiography, An Autobiography (1936) pg. 34. [12] In Jawaharlal Nehru's autobiography, An Autobiography (1936) pg. 33. [13] Moraes 2008, p.54 [14] "Jawaharlal Nehru - a chronological account" (http:/ / www. jnmf. in/ chrono. html). . Retrieved 23 June 2012. [15] In Jawaharlal Nehru's autobiography, An Autobiography (1936) pg. 35. [16] Moraes 2008, p.115 [17] Moraes 2008, p.77 [18] Moraes 2008, p.266 [19] Copland, Ian (1997), The Princes of India in the Endgame of Empire, 19171947, Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-57179-0 pg. 258. [20] Lumby, E.W.R. (1954), The Transfer of Power in India, 19451947, London: George Allen and Unwin p. 228 [21] Rajmohan Gandhi, Patel: A Life, pp. 171, ASIN: B0006EYQ0A [22] Declaration of independence (http:/ / cs. nyu. edu/ kandathi/ swaraj. txt) [23] Gandhi, Gopalkrishna. "The Great Dandi March eighty years after" (http:/ / www. thehindu. com/ opinion/ op-ed/ article388858. ece), The Hindu, 5 April 2010 [24] Fisher, Margaret W. (June 1967). "India's Jawaharlal Nehru p. 368. [25] Johnson, Richard L. (2005). Gandhi's Experiments With Truth: Essential Writings By And About Mahatma Gandhi. p. 37 [26] Moraes 2008, p.196 [27] Moraes 2008, p.234-238 [28] "Forty-Second Amendment to the Constitution" (http:/ / indiacode. nic. in/ coiweb/ amend/ amend42. htm). Ministry of Law and Justice of India. 28 August 1976. . Retrieved 16 June 2012. [29] Moraes 2008, p.129 [30] "3rd Five Year Plan (Chapter 1)" (http:/ / planningcommission. nic. in/ plans/ planrel/ fiveyr/ 3rd/ 3planch1. html). Government of India. . Retrieved 16 June 2012. [31] Science & culture, Volume 30 (http:/ / books. google. com/ ?id=0y0DAAAAIAAJ& q="It+ will+ require+ much+ more+ than+ difference+ of+ opinion+ to+ estrange+ us"& dq="It+ will+ require+ much+ more+ than+ difference+ of+ opinion+ to+ estrange+ us"). Indian Science News Association. 1964. . [32] Nehru, Jawaharlal (8 August 2006). "Wikisource" (http:/ / en. wikisource. org/ wiki/ A_Tryst_With_Destiny) (PHP). . Retrieved 8 August 2006. [33] Nehru's address on Gandhi's death. Retrieved on 15 March 2007. [34] Jain, 1996. Pg 45-47 (http:/ / books. google. com/ books?id=5Wrc1K0uJTgC& pg=PA45).
Jawaharlal Nehru
[35] Yasmin Khan (2011 [36] Thapar, Karan (17 August 2009). "Gandhi, Jinnah both failed: Jaswant" (http:/ / ibnlive. in. com/ news/ gandhi-jinnah-both-failed-jaswant/ 99323-37. html). ibnlive.in.com. . [37] "After Advani, Jaswant turns Jinnah admirer" (http:/ / economictimes. indiatimes. com/ News/ PoliticsNation/ After-Advani-Jaswant-turns-Jinnah-admirer/ articleshow/ 4900326. cms). The Economic Times. 17 August 2009. . [38] "Walk The Talk with Jaswant Singh" (http:/ / www. youtube. com/ watch?v=9KXg0qOPUfk). . Retrieved 23 August 2009. [39] Farmer, B. H. (1993). An Introduction to South Asia (http:/ / books. google. com/ ?id=UNINAAAAQAAJ& pg=PA120). Routledge. p.120. ISBN0-415-05695-0. . [40] The Bourgeoisie Comes of Age in India (http:/ / www. marxists. org/ archive/ kosambi/ exasperating-essays/ x01/ 1946. htm). Marxists.org. Retrieved on 14 November 2011. [41] Som, Reba (1994-02). "Jawaharlal Nehru and the Hindu Code: A Victory of Symbol over Substance?". Modern Asian Studies 28 (1): 165194. doi:10.1017/S0026749X00011732. JSTOR312925. [42] Basu, Srimati (2005). She Comes to Take Her Rights: Indian Women, Property, and Propriety (http:/ / books. google. com/ ?id=mXgX8rrW6JsC& pg=PA3). SUNY Press. p.3. ISBN81-86706-49-6. . "The Hindu Code Bill was visualised by Ambedkar and Nehru as the flagship of modernisation and a radical revision of Hindu law...it is widely regarded as dramatic benchmark legislation giving Hindu women equitable if not superior entitlements as legal subjects." [43] Kulke, Hermann; Dietmar Rothermund (2004). A History of India (http:/ / books. google. com/ ?id=TPVq3ykHyH4C& pg=PA328). Routledge. p.328. ISBN0-415-32919-1. . "One subject that particularly interested Nehru was the reform of Hindu law, particularly with regard to the rights of Hindu women..." [44] Forbes, Geraldine; Geraldine Hancock Forbes, Gordon Johnson (1999). Women in Modern India (http:/ / books. google. com/ ?id=hjilIrVt9hUC& pg=PA115). Cambridge University Press. p.115. ISBN0-521-65377-0. . "It is our birthright to demand equitable adjustment of Hindu law...." [45] Sebastian Erckel; India and the European Union - Two Models of Integration p.128 [46] Robert Sherrod (19 January 1963). "Nehru:The Great Awakening". The Saturday Evening Post 236 (2): 6067. [47] Indian Express, 6 October 1949 at Pune at the time of lying of the foundation stone of National Defence Academy (India). [48] Mahatma Gandhi's relevant quotes, "My non-violence does not admit of running away from danger and leaving dear ones unprotected. Between violence and cowardly flight, I can only prefer violence to cowardice. Non-violence is the summit of bravery." "I do believe that, where there is only a choice between cowardice and violence, I would advise violence." "I would rather have India resort to arms in order to defend her honour than that she should in a cowardly manner become or remain a helpless witness to her own dishonour." All Men Are Brothers Life and Thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi as told in his own words. UNESCO. pg. 85 108. [49] Sublet, Carrie. "Dr. Homi Jehangir Bhabha" (http:/ / nuclearweaponarchive. org/ India/ Bhabha. html). Nuclearweaponarchive.ord. http:/ / nuclearweaponarchive. org. . Retrieved 8 August 2011. [50] Bhatia, Vinod (1989). Jawaharlal Nehru, as Scholars of Socialist Countries See Him. Panchsheel Publishers. p.131. [51] Dua, B. D.; James Manor (1994). Nehru to the Nineties: The Changing Office of Prime Minister in India (http:/ / books. google. com/ ?id=X90G8gnoqv4C& pg=PA141). C. Hurst & Co. Publishers. pp.141, 261. ISBN1-85065-180-9. . [52] The full text of this agreement (which entered into force on 3 June 1954) is in United Nations Treaty Series, vol. 299, United Nations, New York, 1958, pp. 57-81. Available at http:/ / treaties. un. org/ doc/ publication/ unts/ volume%20299/ v299. pdf [53] A short history of long speeches (http:/ / news. bbc. co. uk/ 2/ hi/ uk_news/ magazine/ 8272473. stm) BBC News, 25 Sep 2009 [54] http:/ / www. ier. ro/ documente/ rjea_vol7_no3/ RJEA_Vol7_No3_Can_Self_Determination_Solve_the_Kashmir_Dispute. pdf [55] Noorani, A.G. "Perseverance in peace process" (http:/ / www. hinduonnet. com/ fline/ fl2017/ stories/ 20030829001604900. htm), Frontline, 29 August 2003. [56] "Asia: Ending the Suspense" (http:/ / www. time. com/ time/ magazine/ article/ 0,9171,842104-10,00. html). Time. 17 September 1965. . [57] China's Decision for War with India in 1962 by John W. Garver (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20090326032121/ http:/ / www. people. fas. harvard. edu/ ~johnston/ garver. pdf) [58] Chushi Gangdruk " Chushi Gangdruk: History (http:/ / www. chushigangdruk. org/ history/ history11. html)", ChushiGangdruk.Org [59] "Jawaharlal Nehru pleaded for US help against China in 1962" (http:/ / timesofindia. indiatimes. com/ india/ Jawaharlal-Nehru-pleaded-for-US-help-against-China-in-1962/ articleshow/ 6931810. cms). The Times Of India. 16 November 2010. . [60] Frank, Katherine (2002). Indira: The Life of Indira Nehru Gandhi (http:/ / books. google. com/ ?id=0eolM37FUWYC& pg=PA250). Houghton Mifflin Books. p.250. ISBN0-395-73097-X. . [61] Embree, Ainslie T., ed. (1988). Encyclopedia of Asian History. 3. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. pp.98100. ISBN0-684-18899-6. [62] BBC ON THIS DAY | 27 | 1964: Light goes out in India as Nehru dies (http:/ / news. bbc. co. uk/ onthisday/ hi/ dates/ stories/ may/ 27/ newsid_3690000/ 3690019. stm). BBC News. Retrieved on 17 March 2011. [63] "Introduction" (http:/ / www. aiims. ac. in/ aiims/ aboutaiims/ aboutaiimsintro. htm). AIIMS. . [64] "Institute History" (http:/ / www. iitkgp. ac. in/ institute/ history. php). ., Indian Institute of Technology [65] Ramin Jahanbegloo, Conversations with Isaiah Berlin (London 2000), pp. 2012 [66] Harrison, Selig S. (July 1956). "The Challenge to Indian Nationalism". Foreign Affairs 34 (2): 620636. doi:10.2307/20031191. [67] History (http:/ / www. jnmf. in/ history. html) Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund, Official website. [68] The Last Days of the Raj (2007) (TV) (http:/ / www. imdb. com/ title/ tt0986237/ )
25
Jawaharlal Nehru
[69] AWARDS: The multi-faceted playwright (http:/ / www. hinduonnet. com/ fline/ fl1603/ 16031170. htm) Frontline (magazine), Vol. 16, No. 3, 30 Jan 12 Feb 1999. [70] Sachindananda (2006). "Girish Karnad" (http:/ / books. google. com/ books?id=PGWa7v08JikC& pg=PT82). Authors speak. Sahitya Akademi. p.58. ISBN81-260-1945-X. . [71] "Padma Awards Directory (19542007)" (http:/ / www. mha. nic. in/ pdfs/ PadmaAwards1954-2007. pdf). Ministry of Home affairs. . Retrieved 26 November 2010.
26
Further reading
A Tryst With Destiny historic speech made by Jawaharlal Nehru on 14 August 1947 Nehru: The Invention of India by Shashi Tharoor (November 2003) Arcade Books ISBN 1-55970-697-X Jawaharlal Nehru (Edited by S. Gopal and Uma Iyengar) (July 2003) The Essential Writings of Jawaharlal Nehru Oxford University Press ISBN 0-19-565324-6 Autobiography:Toward freedom, Oxford University Press Jawaharlal Nehru: Life and work by M. Chalapathi Rau, National Book Club (1 January 1966) Jawaharlal Nehru by M. Chalapathi Rau. [New Delhi] Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of India [1973] Letters from a father to his daughter by Jawaharlal Nehru, Children's Book Trust (http://www. childrensbooktrust.com/index.htm) Nehru: A Political Biography by Michael Brecher (1959). London:Oxford University Press. After Nehru, Who by Welles Hangen (1963). London: Rupert Hart-Davis. Nehru: The Years of Power by Geoffrey Tyson (1966). London: Pall Mall Press. Independence and After: A collection of the more important speeches of Jawaharlal Nehru from September 1946 to May 1949 (http://www.questia.com/read/2379634?title=Independence and after: A Collection of Speeches, 1946- 1949) (1949). Delhi: The Publications Division, Government of India. Joseph Stanislaw and Daniel A. Yergin (1988). "Commanding Heights" (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/ commandingheights/shared/pdf/prof_jawaharla.pdf). New York: Simon & Schuster, Inc.. "The Challenge to Indian Nationalism." by Selig S. Harrison Foreign Affairs vol. 34, no. 2 (1956): 620636. Nehru, Jawaharlal. by Ainslie T. Embree, ed., and the Asia Society. Encyclopedia of Asian History. Vol. 3. Charles Scribners Sons. New York. (1988): 98100. Nehru: The Great Awakening. by Robert Sherrod. Saturday Evening Post vol. 236, no. 2 (19 January 1963): 6067.
Bibliography
Moraes, Frank (2008). Jawaharlal Nehru, A Biography. Jaico Publishing House. ISBN978-8179926956.
External links
Lord Mountbatten's daughter recalls Nehru (http://www.india-intro.com/remembering-nehru-and-others.html) Jawahar Lal Nehru's Biography (http://www.indohistory.com/jawaharlalnehru.html) Jawaharlal Nehru University (http://www.jnu.ac.in/) Nehru biography at Harappa.com (http://www.harappa.com/sounds/nehru.html) India Today's profile of Nehru (http://www.india-today.com/itoday/millennium/100people/nehru.html) Nehru's legacy to India (http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl2120/stories/20041008000307600.htm) Nehru on Communalism (http://books.google.com/books?id=sI_I-jk8YWsC&dq=nehru+communalism& printsec=frontcover)
12 Indians who are famous in Russia (http://indrus.in/articles/2011/08/02/ 12_indians_who_are_famous_in_russia_12823.html) Jawaharlal Nehru Quotations
Jawaharlal Nehru Booknotes interview with Stanley Wolpert on Nehru: A Tryst with Destiny, 29 December 1996. (http://www. booknotes.org/Watch/77488-1/Stanley+Wolpert.aspx)
27
Gulzarilal Nanda
Gulzarilal Nanda
Prime Minister of India Acting In office 11 January 1966 24 January 1966 President Preceded by Succeeded by Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Lal Bahadur Shastri Indira Gandhi
In office 27 May 1964 9 June 1964 President Preceded by Succeeded by Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Jawaharlal Nehru Lal Bahadur Shastri
Minister of External Affairs In office 27 May 1964 9 June 1964 Preceded by Succeeded by Jawaharlal Nehru Lal Bahadur Shastri
Minister of Home Affairs In office 29 August 1963 14 November 1966 Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru Lal Bahadur Shastri Indira Gandhi Preceded by Succeeded by Lal Bahadur Shastri Yashwantrao Chavan
Personal details Born 4 July 1898 Sialkot, British India 15 January 1998 (aged99) New Delhi, India Indian National Congress Allahabad University Academican Activist Swaminarayan Hinduism
Died
Religion
Gulzarilal Nanda Gulzarilal Nanda (4 July 1898 15 January 1998) was an Indian politician and an economist with specialization in labour problems. He was the interim Prime Minister of India twice for thirteen days each: the first time after the death of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1964, and the second time after the death of Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri in 1966. (Both his terms ended after the ruling Indian National Congress party procedurally elected a new prime minister.) The Government of India honoured Nanda with the Bharat Ratna award in 1997.[1][2]
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Early life
Nanda was born on 4 July 1898 in Sialkot in the Punjab Province of British India into a Punjabi Hindu Khatri family. (After the partition of British India into India and Pakistan in 1947, Sialkot became a part of the Punjab Province of Pakistan.) Nanda received his education in Lahore, Amritsar, Agra, and Allahabad. Nanda worked as a research scholar on labor problems at Allahabad University (19201921), and became a Professor of Economics at National College in Bombay (Mumbai) in 1921.[3] The same year, he joined the Indian Non-Cooperation Movement against the British Raj. In 1922, he became secretary of the Ahmedabad Textile Labour Association where he worked until 1946. He was imprisoned for Satyagraha in 1932, and again from 1942 to 1944. Honored with Proud Past Alumni" in the list of 42 members, from "Allahabad University Alumni Association", NCR, Ghaziabad (Greater Noida) Chapter 2007-2008 registered under society act 1860 with registration no. 407/2000[4].
Gulzarilal Nanda
29
Prime Minister
Nanda was the Prime Minister of India twice for thirteen days each: the first time after the death of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1964, and the second time after the death of Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri in 1966.[5] Both his terms were uneventful, yet they were important because of the potential danger to the country following Nehru's death soon after a war with China in 1962, and Shastri's death after a war with Pakistan in 1965.
Personality
A principled politician, he found himself out of tune with the changed circumstances. He did not own any property and lived in a rented house in New Delhi's Defence Colony from which he was evicted since he could not pay its rent and moved to Ahmedabad where he lived with his daughter. What sets him apart from almost all the other freedom fighters who held high offices in independent India is his complete insulation from material desire. He had no source of income and would not accept funds from his children or from any well wisher. A friend, Sheel Bhadra Yajee, persuaded him to sign an application for the freedom fighter's pension of Rs 500 per month.
Notes
[1] (http:/ / pmindia. nic. in/ pm_nanda. htm) [2] Gulzarilal Nanda (Indian politician) - Britannica Online Encyclopedia (http:/ / www. britannica. com/ EBchecked/ topic/ 402521/ Gulzarilal-Nanda) [3] Kamat Research Database - Gulzarilal Nanda (http:/ / www. kamat. com/ database/ biographies/ gulzarilal_nanda. htm) [4] "He is Proud Past Alumni Allahabad University" (http:/ / auaa. in/ ?page_id=31). Allahabad university Alumni Association web page say [5] http:/ / pmindia. nic. in/ former. htm Former PMs of India
30
Minister of External Affairs In office 9 June 1964 18 July 1964 Preceded by Succeeded by Gulzarilal Nanda Sardar Swaran Singh
Minister of Home Affairs In office 4 April 1961 29 August 1963 Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru Preceded by Succeeded by Govind Ballabh Pant Gulzarilal Nanda Personal details Born 2 October 1904 Mughalsarai, British India 11 January 1966 (aged61) Tashkent, Uzbek SSR, Soviet Union Indian National Congress Lalita Devi 10 Janpath, New Delhi Academic Activist Hinduism [1]
Died
Religion
Lal Bahadur Shastri (pronounced Hindustani pronunciation:[lal badr astri]; 2 October 1904 11 January 1966) was the second Prime Minister of the Republic of India and a leader of the Indian National Congress during the Indian independence movement. Shastri joined the Indian independence movement in the 1920s. Deeply impressed and influenced by Mahatma Gandhi, he became a loyal follower, first of Gandhi, and then of Jawaharlal Nehru. He joined the latter's government and became one of Nehru's principal lieutenants, first as Minister for Railways (19516), and then in a variety of other functions, including Minister of Home Affairs. Shastri was chosen as Nehru's successor owing to his adherence of Nehruvian socialism after Indira Gandhi turned down K. Kamaraj's offer of premiership.
Lal Bahadur Shastri Shastri as Prime Minister continued Nehru's policies of non-alignment and socialism. He became a national hero in India following the second Indo-Pakistan War in 1965. The war was formally ended in the Tashkent Agreement of 10 January 1966; he died the following day, still in Tashkent, of a heart attack.
31
Social activism
Shastri, who belonged to the Kayastha caste, dropped his surname Srivastava as it indicated his caste and he was against the caste system, a major principle of the Gandhian movement.[2] Shastri also enrolled himself as a life member of the Servants of the People Society and began to work for the upliftment of the Harijans under Gandhi's direction at Muzaffarpur.[6] Later he became the President of the Society.[7]
Independence activism
Shastri joined the Indian independence movement in 1921. His early activities included participation in the non-cooperation movement for which he was jailed briefly by the British. He was let off as he was then still a minor.[8] Shastri participated in the Salt Satyagraha in 1930. He was imprisoned for two and a half years.[9] Later, he worked as the Organizing Secretary of the Parliamentary Board of U.P. in 1937.[10] In 1940, he was sent to prison for one year, for offering individual Satyagraha support to the freedom movement.[11] On 8 August 1942, Mahatma Gandhi issued the Quit India speech at Gowalia Tank in Mumbai, demanding that the British leave India. Shastri, who had just then come out after a year in prison, travelled to Allahabad. For a week, he sent instructions to the freedom fighters from Jawaharlal Nehru home, Anand Bhavan. A few days later, he was arrested and imprisoned until 1946.[11] Shastri spent almost nine years in jail in total.[12] During his stays in prison, he spent time reading books and became familiar with the works of western philosophers, revolutionaries and social reformers. He also translated the autobiography of Marie Curie into Hindi.[9]
Lal Bahadur Shastri water instead of lathis to disperse unruly crowds.[13] His tenure as police minister ( As Home Minister was called prior to 1950) saw successful curbing of communal riots in 1947, mass migration and resettlement of refugees and break-in and putting of idols in disputed Babri Masjid - Ram Janmabhoomi complex on 22 Dec 1949.
32
Cabinet minister
In 1951, Shastri was made the General Secretary of the All-India Congress Committee, with Jawaharlal Nehru as the Prime Minister. He was directly responsible for the selection of candidates and the direction of publicity and electioneering activities. He played an important role in the landslide successes of the Congress Party in the Indian General Elections of 1952, 1957 and 1962. In 1952, he successfully contested UP Vidhansabha from Soraon North cum Phulpur West seat and won getting over 69% of vote. He was believed to be retained as home minister of UP, but in a surprise move was called to Centre as minister by Nehru. He was elected to Rajyasabha from Uttar Pradesh w.e.f. 03 April 1952. He served as the Minister of Railways and Transport in the Central Cabinet from 13 May 1952 to 7 December 1956. In Sep 1956, he offered his resignation after a railway accident at Mahbubnagar that led to 112 deaths. However, Nehru did not accept his resignation.[14] Three months later, he resigned accepting moral and constitutional responsibility for a railway accident at Ariyalur in Tamil Nadu that resulted in 144 deaths. While speaking in Parliament on the incident, Nehru stated that he was accepting the resignation because it would set an example in constitutional propriety and not because Shastri was in any way responsible for the accident.[3] In 1957, Shastri returned to the Cabinet following the General Elections, first as the Minister for Transport and Communications, and then as the Minister of Commerce and Industry.[6] In 1961, he became Minister for Home.[3] As Union Home Minister he was instrumental in appointing the Committee on Prevention of Corruption under the Chairmanship of K. Santhanam.[15]
Domestic policies
Shastri retained many members of Nehru's Council of Ministers. T. T. Krishnamachari was retained as the Finance Minister of India, as was Defence Minister Yashwantrao Chavan. He appointed Swaran Singh to succeed him as External Affairs Minister. He also appointed Indira Gandhi, daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru and former Congress President, as the Minister of Information and Broadcasting. Gulzarilal Nanda continued as the Minister of Home Affairs. Shastri's tenure witnessed the Madras anti-Hindi agitation of 1965. The government of India had for a long time made an effort to establish Hindi as the sole national language of India. This was resisted by the non-Hindi speaking states particularly Madras State. To calm the situation, Shastri took the advice of Indira Gandhi and gave assurances that English would continue to be used as the official language as long the non-Hindi speaking states wanted. The riots subsided after Shastri's assurance, as did the student agitation.
33
Economic policies
Shastri continued Nehru's socialist economic policies with central planning. He promoted the White Revolution a national campaign to increase the production and supply of milk by supporting the Amul milk co-operative of Anand, Gujarat and creating the National Dairy Development Board.[15] While speaking on the chronic food shortages across the country, Shastri urged people to voluntarily give up one meal so that the saved food could be distributed to the affected populace. During the 22-day war with Pakistan in 1965, Shastri created the slogan of "Jai Jawan Jai Kisan" ("Hail the soldier, Hail the farmer"), underlining the need to boost India's food production. Shastri also promoted the Green Revolution. Though he was a socialist, Shastri stated that India cannot have a regimented type of economy.[15]
Foreign policies
Shastri continued Nehru's policy of non-alignment but also built closer relations with the Soviet Union. In the aftermath of the Sino-Indian War of 1962 and the formation of military ties between the Chinese People's Republic and Pakistan, Shastri's government decided to expand the defence budget of India's armed forces. In 1964, Shastri signed an accord with the Sri Lankan Prime minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike regarding the status of Indian Tamils in the then Ceylon.[18] This agreement is also known as the Srimavo-Shastri Pact or the Bandaranaike-Shastri pact.[19]. Under the terms of this agreement, 600,000 Indian Tamils were to be repatriated, while 375,000 were to be granted Sri Lankan citizenship. This settlement was to be done by 31 October 1981. However, after Shastri's death, by 1981, India had taken only 300,000 Tamils as repatriates, while Sri Lanka had granted citizenship to only 185,000 citizens (plus another 62,000 born after 1964). Later, India declined to consider any further applications for citizenship, stating that the 1964 agreement had lapsed.[18] Laying claim to half the Kutch peninsula, the Pakistani army skirmished with Indian forces in August, 1965. In his report to the Lok Sabha on the confrontation in Kutch, Shastri stated[17]: In the utilization of our limited resources, we have always given primacy to plans and projects for economic development. It would, therefore, be obvious for anyone who is prepared to look at things objectively that India can have no possible interest in provoking border incidents or in building up an atmosphere of strife... In these circumstances, the duty of Government is quite clear and this duty will be discharged fully and effectively... We would prefer to live in poverty for as long as necessary but we shall not allow our freedom to be subverted. Under a scheme proposed in June 1965 by British Prime Minister Harold Wilson, Pakistan obtained 10%, in place of their original claim of 50% of the territory. But Pakistan's aggressive intentions were also focused on Kashmir. When armed infiltrators from Pakistan began entering the State of Jammu and Kashmir, Shastri made it clear to Pakistan that force would be met with force. 29[20] In September 1965, major incursions of militants and Pakistani soldiers began, hoping not only to break down the government but incite a sympathetic revolt. The revolt did not happen, and India sent its forces across the Ceasefire Line (now Line of Control) and threatened Pakistan by crossing the International Border near Lahore as war broke out on a general scale. Massive tank battles occurred in the Punjab, and while the Pakistani forces made some gains, Indian forces captured the key post at Haji Pir, in Kashmir, and brought the Pakistani city of Lahore under artillery and mortar fire. On 17 September 1965, while the Indo-Pak war was on, India received a letter from China alleging that the Indian army had set up army equipment in Chinese territory, and India would face China's wrath, unless the equipment was pulled down. In spite of the threat of aggression from China, Shastri declared "China's allegation is untrue. If China attacks India it is our firm resolve to fight for our freedom. The might of China will not deter us from defending our territorial integrity."[21] The Chinese did not respond, but the Indo-Pak war resulted in some 34,000 casualties on each side and significant loss of material.
Lal Bahadur Shastri The Indo-Pak war ended on 23 September 1965 with a United Nations-mandated ceasefire. In a broadcast to the nation on the day the of ceasefire, Shastri stated:[17] "While the conflict between the armed forces of the two countries has come to an end, the more important thing for the United Nations and all those who stand for peace is to bring to an end the deeper conflict.... How can this be brought about? In our view, the only answer lies in peaceful coexistence. India has stood for the principle of coexistence and championed it all over the world. Peaceful coexistence is possible among nations no matter how deep the differences between them, how far apart they are in their political and economic systems, no matter how intense the issues that divide them." During his tenure as Prime Minister, Shastri visited many countries including Russia, Yugoslavia, England, Canada and Burma.[6] After the declaration of ceasefire with Pakistan in 1965, Shastri and Pakistani President Muhammad Ayub Khan attended a summit in Tashkent (former USSR, now in modern Uzbekistan), organised by Alexei Kosygin. On 10 January 1966, Shastri and Khan signed the Tashkent Declaration.
34
Death
Prime Minister Shastri died in Tashkent due to a heart attack the day after signing the Tashkent Declaration. He was eulogised as a national hero and the Vijay Ghat memorial established in his memory. Upon his death, Gulzarilal Nanda once again assumed the role of Acting Prime Minister until the Congress Parliamentary Party elected Indira Gandhi over Morarji Desai to officially succeed Shastri.[22] Shastri's sudden death has led to persistent conspiracy theories that he was poisoned.[23] The first inquiry into his death was conducted by the Raj Narain Inquiry, as it came to be known, however did not come up with any conclusions and today no record of this inquiry exists with the Indian Parliament's library.[24] It was alleged that no post-mortem was done on Shastri, but the Indian government in 2009, claimed it did have a report of a medical investigation conducted by Shastri's personal physician Dr. R.N. Chugh and some Russian doctors. Furthermore, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) revealed that there was no record of any destruction or loss of documents in the PMO having a bearing on Shastri's death.[23] The possible existence of a conspiracy was covered in India by the Outlook magazine.[25][26] In 2009, when Anuj Dhar, the author of the book, CIA's Eye on South Asia, asked the Prime Minister's Office under an RTI plea (Right to Information Act), to declassify a document supposedly related to Shastri's death, the PMO refused to oblige, reportedly citing that this could lead to harming of foreign relations, cause disruption in the country and cause breach of parliamentary privileges.[23]
the name is seen in the plaque in Mumbai in Maharashtra, India
Legacy
Lal Bahadur Shastri Ramachandra Guha argued that Shastri shared little in common with his predecessor Jawaharlal Nehru.[27] While Shastri preferred peace with Pakistan, writing to a friend after the Indo-Pakistani War in 1965 that the problems between both countries should be settled amicably, he had previously displayed a knack for taking quick and decisive actions during the war.[27] He swiftly took the advice of his commanders, and ordered a strike across the Punjab border.[27] This was in stark contrast to Nehru who in a similar situation in 1962, had refused to call in the air force to relieve the pressure on the ground troops.[27] At the end of the conflict, Shastri flamboyantly posed for a photograph on top of a captured Patton tank.[27] However, in common with Nehru, Shastri was a secularist who refused to mix religion with politics. In a public meeting held at the Ram Lila grounds in Delhi, a few days after the ceasefire, he complained against a BBC report which claimed that Shastri's identity as a Hindu meant that he was ready for a war with Pakistan. He stated:[27] "While I am a Hindu, Mir Mushtaq who is presiding over this meeting is a Muslim. Mr. Frank Anthony who has addressed you is a Christian. There are also Sikhs and Parsis here. The unique thing about our country is that we have Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Parsis and people of all other religions. We have temples and mosques, gurdwaras and churches. But we do not bring all this into politics. This is the difference between India and Pakistan. Whereas Pakistan proclaims herself to be an Islamic State and uses religion as a political factor, we Indians have the freedom to follow whatever religion we may choose, and worship in any way we please. So far as politics is concerned, each of us is as much an Indian as the other." Although Shastri had been a cabinet minister for many years in the 1950s, he was poor when he died. All he owned at the end was an old car, which he had bought in instalments from the government and for which he still owed money. He was a member of Servants of india society (which included Gandhiji, Lala Lajpat Rai , Gopal Krishna Gokhle) which asked all its members to shun accumulation of private property and remain in public life as servants of people. He was the first railway minister who resigned from office following a major train accident as he felt moral responsibility.
35
Memorials
Shastri was known for his honesty and humility throughout his life. He was the first person to be posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna, and a memorial "Vijay Ghat" was built for him in Delhi. Several educational institutes, Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (Mussorie, Uttarakhand) is after his name these were some examples. The Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute was named after Shastri due to his role in promoting scholarly activity between India and Canada.[28] Today Lal Bhadur Shastri Memorial run by Lal Bahadur Shastri National Memorial Trust, is situated next to 10 Janpath his residence as Prime Minister,[29] at 1, Motilal Nehru Place, New Delhi. In 2011, on Shastris 45th death anniversary, Uttar Pradesh Government announced to renovate Shastris ancestral house at Ramnagar in Varanasi and declared plans to convert it into a biographical museum.[1][30] The International Airport at the City of Varanasi is named after him. A Monument and a street is named after him in the city of Tashkent, Uzbekistan. A stadium is named after him in the city of Hyderabad, Andhrapradesh In 2005, the Government of India created a chair in his honour in the field of democracy and governance at Delhi University.[31]
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Citations
[1] "Lest we FORGET..." (http:/ / www. hindu. com/ mp/ 2004/ 10/ 02/ stories/ 2004100200850200. htm). The Hindu. 2 October 2004. . [2] "Lal Bahadur Shastri: The Fatherless Child" (http:/ / www. freeindia. org/ biographies/ greatleaders/ shastri/ page4. htm). . Retrieved 13 March 2007. [3] "Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Je- A Profile" (http:/ / pmindia. nic. in/ pm_shastri. htm). Government Of India. . Retrieved 13 March 2007. [4] "Lal Bahadur Shastri: Tilak and Gandhi" (http:/ / www. freeindia. org/ biographies/ greatleaders/ shastri/ page8. htm). . Retrieved 13 March 2007. [5] The Shastri saga (http:/ / www. hinduonnet. com/ thehindu/ mp/ 2004/ 10/ 02/ stories/ 2004100200930300. htm) [6] "Lal Bahadur Shastri (19041966)" (http:/ / rrtd. nic. in/ lalbahadurshastri. htm). Research Reference and Training Division, Ministry Of Information And Broadcasting, Government Of India. . Retrieved 13 March 2007. [7] "Lal Bahadur Shastri: The Servants of the People Society" (http:/ / www. freeindia. org/ biographies/ greatleaders/ shastri/ page9. htm). . Retrieved 13 March 2007. [8] "Lal Bahadur Shastri: The Young Satyagrahi" (http:/ / www. freeindia. org/ biographies/ greatleaders/ shastri/ page9. htm). . Retrieved 13 March 2007. [9] "Lal Bahadur Shastri: Freedom's Soldier" (http:/ / www. freeindia. org/ biographies/ greatleaders/ shastri/ page11. htm). . Retrieved 13 March 2007. [10] "Prime Minister's address at the inauguration of centenary year celebrations of late Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri" (http:/ / pmindia. nic. in/ speech/ content. asp?id=30). Prime Minister's Office, Government Of India. 2 October 2005. . Retrieved 13 March 2007. [11] "Lal Bahadur Shastri: In Prison Again" (http:/ / www. freeindia. org/ biographies/ greatleaders/ shastri/ page13. htm). . Retrieved 13 March 2007. [12] LiveIndia.com Lal Bahadur Shastri (http:/ / www. liveindia. com/ freedomfighters/ LalBahadurShastri. html) [13] "Lal Bahadur Shastri: The Responsibility of Freedom" (http:/ / www. freeindia. org/ biographies/ greatleaders/ shastri/ page15. htm). . Retrieved 13 March 2007. [14] "Lal Bahadur Shastri: I Am Responsible" (http:/ / www. freeindia. org/ biographies/ greatleaders/ shastri/ page17. htm). . Retrieved 13 March 2007. [15] "Prime Minister Inaugurates Lal Bahadur Shastri Memorial: Text Of Dr Manmohan Singh's Speech" (http:/ / pib. nic. in/ release/ release. asp?relid=9089). Press Information Bureau, Government Of India. 7 May 2005. . Retrieved 13 March 2007. [16] . [17] "Lal Bahadur Shastri: The Might of Peace" (http:/ / pib. nic. in/ release/ release. asp?relid=21051). Press Information Bureau, Government Of India. 29 September 2006. . Retrieved 13 March 2007. [18] Encyclopedia of the Third World, as quoted in "Srimavo-Shastri Pact between India and Sri Lanka" (http:/ / www. unhcr. org/ refworld/ topic,4565c2252c,4565c25f38f,3ae6acf314,0,,,LKA. html). Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. 1 September 1997. . Retrieved 26 April 2012. [19] The Far East and Australasia, 1996 [20] "Lal Bahadur Shastri: Force will be met with force" (http:/ / www. freeindia. org/ biographies/ greatleaders/ shastri/ page24. htm). . Retrieved 13 March 2007. [21] "Lal Bahadur Shastri: China Cannot Frighten Us" (http:/ / www. freeindia. org/ biographies/ greatleaders/ shastri/ page25. htm). . Retrieved 13 March 2007. [22] U.N. Gupta (2003). Indian Parliamentary Democracy. Atlantic Publishers & Distributors. pp.121. ISBN81269001934 . [23] Dhawan, H. "45 years on, Shastri's death a mystery PMO refuses to Entertain RTI Plea Seeking Declassification of Document". The Times of India, New Delhi Edition, Saturday, 11 July 2009, page 11, columns 15 (top left) [24] http:/ / www. outlookindia. com/ article. aspx?281537 [25] http:/ / www. outlookindia. com/ article. aspx?281537 [26] http:/ / www. outlookindia. com/ article. aspx?281537 [27] Guha 2008, pp.400401 [28] "Mission of the Shastri Institute" (http:/ / www. sici. org/ about/ ). . [29] Rajeshwar Prasad (1991). Days with Lal Bahadur Shastri: Glimpses from The Last Seven Years (http:/ / books. google. co. in/ books?id=dvTYfnfsec0C& pg=PA16& lpg=PA16& dq=Lal+ Bahadur+ Shastri+ + 10+ Janpath& source=bl& ots=ANs52405tz& sig=V4sj0QTfTyuaR4LHsPgmQr6Ba7A& hl=en& ei=kDRlTpOwL8ryrQef1sSwCg& sa=X& oi=book_result& ct=result& resnum=9& ved=0CFcQ6AEwCA#v=onepage& q& f=false). Allied Publishers. p.16. ISBN81-7023-331-3. . [30] "Shastri memorial losing out to Sonia security" (http:/ / www. indianexpress. com/ news/ shastri-memorial-losing-out-to-sonia-security/ 738420/ 0). Indian Express. 17 January 2011. . [31] "PM's speech at conclusion of Lal Bahadur Shastri Centenary Celebrations" (http:/ / pmindia. nic. in/ speech/ content. asp?id=205). Prime Minister's Office, Government of India. 4 October 2005. . Retrieved 13 March 2007.
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References
Guha, Ramachandra (2008). India After Gandhi: The History of the World's Largest Democracy. Pan Macmillan. ISBN978-0-330-39611-0.
Further reading
John Noyce. Lal Bahadur Shastri: an English-language bibliography. Lulu.com, 2002. Lal Bahadur Shastri, 'Reflections on Indian politics', Indian Journal of Political Science, vol.23, 1962, pp17 L.P. Singh, Portrait of Lal Bahadur Shastri (Delhi: Ravi Dayal Publishers, 1996) ISBN 81-7530-006-X (Sir) C.P. Srivastava, Lal Bahadur Shastri: a life of truth in politics (New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1995) ISBN 0-19-563499-3 (Sir) C.P. Srivastava, Corruption: India's enemy within (New Delhi: Macmillan India, 2001) chapter 3 ISBN 0-333-93531-4 India Unbound From Independence to Global Information Age by Shri Gurucharan Das chapter 11
External links
Why has history forgotten this giant? (http://www.rediff.com/news/2004/oct/06spec1.htm) The politician who made no money (http://www.rediff.com/news/2004/oct/07spec1.htm) faizan ]
Indira Gandhi
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Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi
3rd Prime Minister of India In office 14 January 1980 31 October 1984 President Neelam Sanjiva Reddy Zail Singh Charan Singh Rajiv Gandhi
Preceded by Succeeded by
In office 24 January 1966 24 March 1977 President Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Zakir Hussain Varahagiri Venkata Giri (Acting) Mohammad Hidayatullah (Acting) Varahagiri Venkata Giri Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed Basappa Danappa Jatti (Acting) Morarji Desai Gulzarilal Nanda (Acting) Morarji Desai Minister of External Affairs In office 9 March 1984 31 October 1984 Preceded by Succeeded by Narasimha Rao Rajiv Gandhi
In office 22 August 1967 14 March 1969 Preceded by Succeeded by Mahommedali Currim Chagla Dinesh Singh Minister of Defence In office 14 January 1980 15 January 1982 Preceded by Chidambaram Subramaniam
Indira Gandhi
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Succeeded by Ramaswamy Venkataraman
In office 30 November 1975 20 December 1975 Preceded by Succeeded by Sardar Swaran Singh Bansi Lal Minister of Home Affairs In office 27 June 1970 4 February 1973 Preceded by Succeeded by Yashwantrao Chavan Uma Shankar Dikshit Minister of Finance In office 16 July 1969 27 June 1970 Preceded by Succeeded by Morarji Desai Yashwantrao Chavan Personal details Born Indira Priyadarshini Nehru 19 November 1917 Allahabad, United Provinces, British India 31 October 1984 (aged66) New Delhi, India
Died
Political party Indian National Congress Spouse(s) Children Feroze Gandhi Rajiv Sanjay Visva-Bharati University Somerville College, Oxford
Alma mater
Signature
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (Indir Priyadarin Gndh listen, ne Nehru; 19 November 1917 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms (196677) and a fourth term (198084). Gandhi was the second female head of government in the world after Sirimavo Bandaranaike of Sri Lanka, and she remains as the world's second longest serving female Prime Minister as of 2012. She was the first woman to become prime minister in India.[1] Gandhi was the only child of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of independent India. She adhered to the quasi-socialist policies of industrial development that had been begun by her father. Gandhi established closer relations with the Soviet Union, depending on that nation for support in Indias long-standing conflict with Pakistan. She was also the only Indian Prime Minister to have declared a state of emergency in order to 'rule by decree' and the only Indian Prime Minister to have been imprisoned after holding that office. She was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards in retaliation for ordering Operation Blue Star.
Indira Gandhi
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Indira Gandhi
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Legislative career
When Gandhi became Prime Minister in 1966, the Congress was split in two factions, the socialists led by Gandhi, and the conservatives led by Morarji Desai. Rammanohar Lohia called her Gungi Gudiya which means 'Dumb Doll'.[6] The internal problems showed in the 1967 election where the Congress lost nearly 60 seats winning 297 seats in the 545 seat Lok Sabha. She had to accommodate Desai as Deputy Prime Minister of India and Minister of Finance. In 1969 after many disagreements with Desai, the Indian National Congress split. She ruled with support from Socialist and Communist Parties for the next two years. In the same year, in July 1969 she nationalized banks.
Foreign policy
Gandhi invited the Pakistani President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to Shimla for a week-long summit. The two national leaders eventually signed the Shimla Agreement, which bound the two countries to resolve the Kashmir dispute by negotiations and peaceful means. Due to her antipathy for Nixon, relations with the United States grew distant, while relations with the Soviet Union grew closer. Congress was criticized by some for not making the Line of Control (LoC) a permanent border while a few critics even believed that Pakistan-administered Kashmir should have been extracted from Indira Gandhi & Nicolae Ceauescu Pakistan, whose 93,000 prisoners of war were under Indian control. But the agreement did remove immediate United Nations and third party interference, and greatly reduced the likelihood of Pakistan launching a major attack in the near future. By not demanding total capitulation on a sensitive issue from Bhutto, she had allowed Pakistan to stabilize and normalize. Trade relations were also normalized, though much contact remained frozen (sealed) for years.
Indira Gandhi India's commitment as to develop its programme for industrial and scientific use.
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Green Revolution
Special agricultural innovation programs and extra government support launched in the 1960s finally transformed India's chronic food shortages into surplus production of wheat, rice, cotton and milk, the success mainly attributed to the hard working majority Sikh farmers of Punjab. Rather than relying on food aid from the United States headed by a President Gandhi disliked considerably (the feeling was mutual: to Nixon, Gandhi was "the old witch"),[9] the country became a food exporter. That achievement, along with the diversification of its commercial crop production, has become known as the "Green Revolution". At the same time, the White Revolution was an expansion in milk production which helped to combat malnutrition, especially amidst young children. 'Food security', as the program was called, was another source of support for Gandhi in the years leading up to 1975.[10] Established in the early 1960s, the Green Revolution was the unofficial name given to the Intense Agricultural District Program (IADP) which sought to insure abundant, inexpensive grain for urban dwellers upon whose support Gandhias indeed all Indian politiciansheavily depended.[11] The program was based on four premises: 1) New varieties of seed(s), 2) Acceptance of the necessity of the chemicalization of Indian agriculture, i.e. fertilizers, pesticides, weed killers, etc., 3) A commitment to national and international cooperative research to develop new and improved existing seed varieties, 4) The concept of developing a scientific, agricultural institutions in the form of land grant colleges.[12]
Bank nationalizations
Gandhi with Jacqueline Kennedy in New Delhi, 1962 In 1969, fourteen major banks were nationalized as a means of encouraging [13] economic development and widening access to banking facilities. Banks were given targets for lending in priority areas (like agriculture) and were directed to offer banking services to poorer members of Indian society who had been neglected by the private banks. Under the nationalization drive, the number of bank branches rose from 8,200 to over 62,000, most of which were opened in the unbanked, rural areas. The nationalization drive not only helped to increase household savings, but it also provided considerable investments in the informal sector, in small and medium-sized enterprises, and in agriculture, and contributed significantly to regional development and to the expansion of Indias industrial and agricultural base.[14]
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Gandhi meeting Shah of Iran Mohammad-Reza Pahlavi and Shahbanu Farah Pahlavi during the latter's State visit to India in 1970.
only win if Mr Sen appeared for her. But Gandhi rejected calls to resign and announced plans to appeal to the Supreme Court. The verdict was delivered by Mr Justice Jagmohanlal Sinha at Allahabad High Court. It came almost four years after the case was brought by Raj Narain, the premier's defeated opponent in the 1971 parliamentary election. Gandhi, who gave evidence in her defence during the trial, was found guilty of dishonest election practices, excessive election expenditure, and of using government machinery and officials for party purposes.[17] The judge rejected more serious charges of bribery against her. Gandhi insisted the conviction did not undermine her position, despite having been unseated from the lower house of parliament, Lok Sabha, by order of the High Court. She said: "There is a lot of talk about our government not being clean, but from our experience the situation was very much worse when [opposition] parties were forming governments". And she dismissed criticism of the way her Congress Party raised election campaign money, saying all parties used the same methods. The prime minister retained the support of her party, which issued a statement backing her. After news of the verdict spread, hundreds of supporters demonstrated outside her house, pledging their loyalty. Indian High Commissioner BK Nehru said Gandhi's conviction would not harm her political career. "Mrs Gandhi has still today overwhelming support in the country," he said. "I believe the prime minister of India will continue in office until the electorate of India decides otherwise".
With Richard Nixon, 1971
Indira Gandhi
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Rule by decree
Within a few months, President's Rule was imposed on the two opposition party ruled states of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu thereby bringing the entire country under direct Central rule or by governments led by the ruling Congress party.[18] Police were granted powers to impose curfews and indefinitely detain citizens and all publications were subjected to substantial censorship by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Finally, impending legislative assembly elections were indefinitely postponed, with all opposition-controlled state governments being removed by virtue of the constitutional provision allowing for a dismissal of a state government on recommendation of the state's governor. Indira Gandhi used the emergency provisions to change conflicting party members. "Unlike her father Jawaharlal Nehru, who preferred to deal with strong chief ministers in control of their legislative parties and state party organizations, Mrs. Gandhi set out to remove every Congress chief minister who had an independent base and to replace each of them with ministers personally loyal to her...Even so, stability could not be maintained in the states..."[19] President Ahmed issued a ordinances that did not need to be debated in the Parliament, allowing her to rule by decree.
Elections
After extending the state of emergency twice, in 1977 Indira Gandhi called elections, to give the electorate a chance to vindicate her rule. Gandhi may have grossly misjudged her popularity by reading what the heavily censored press wrote about her. In any case, she was opposed by the Janata Party. Janata, led by her long-time rival, Desai and with Jai Prakash Narayan as its spiritual guide, claimed the elections were the last chance for India to choose between "democracy and dictatorship." Gandhi's Congress party was crushed soundly in the elections which followed. Indira and Sanjay Gandhi both lost their seats, and Congress was cut down to 153 seats (compared with 350 in the previous Lok Sabha), 92 of which were in the south.
Indira Gandhi during the Emergency.[20] However, this strategy backfired disastrously. Her arrest and long-running trial, however, gained her great sympathy from many people. The Janata coalition was only united by its hatred of Gandhi (or "that woman" as some called her). With so little in common, the government was bogged down by infighting. Jayaprakash Narayan died on 8 October 1979, which broke the unity of the Janata Party and Desai took his place. Desai resigned in June 1979, and Charan Singh was appointed Prime Minister by Reddy after Gandhi promised that Congress would support his government from outside. After a short interval, Congress withdrew support and President Reddy dissolved Parliament in the winter of 1979. In elections held the following January, Congress was returned to power with a landslide majority.
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In July 1982, Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, the head of the Sikh religious institution the Damdami Taksal based in the northern Indian state of Punjab, led a campaign for the implementation of the Anandpur Sahib Resolution for greater rights to the states making a federal arrangement.[21] In response to this, Indira Gandhi ordered the Indian army to attack the Bhindrawale. The State of Punjab was closed to international media, its phone and communication lines shut. To this day the events remain controversial with a disputed number of victims; Sikhs seeing the attack as unjustified and Bhindrawale being declared the greatest sikh martyr of the 21st century by Akal Takht (Sikh Political Authority) in 2003.
Assassination
The day before her death Indira Gandhi visited Orissa on 30 October 1984 where she gave her last speech: "I am alive today, I may not be there tomorrow. I shall continue to serve till my last breath and when I die every drop of my blood will strengthen India and keep a united India alive."[22] Indira Gandhi delivered her last speech at the then Parade Ground in front of the Secretariat of Orissa. After her death, the Parade Ground was converted to the Indira Gandhi Park which was inaugurated by her son, Rajiv Gandhi. On 31 October 1984, two of Gandhi's Sikh bodyguards, Satwant Singh and Beant Singh, shot her with their service weapons in the garden of the Prime Minister's residence at 1 Safdarjung Road, New Delhi. The shooting occurred as she was walking past a wicket gate guarded by Satwant and Beant. She was to have been interviewed by the British Indira Gandhi's last speech at Bhubaneswar actor Peter Ustinov, who was filming a documentary for Irish television. Beant Singh shot her three times using his side-arm, and Satwant Singh fired 30 rounds.[23] Beant Singh and Satwant Singh dropped their weapons and surrendered. Afterwards they were taken away by other guards into a closed room where Beant Singh was shot dead. Kehar Singh was later arrested for conspiracy in the attack. Both Satwant and Kehar were sentenced to death and hanged in Delhi's Tihar jail. Indira Gandhi was brought at 9:30 AM to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, where doctors operated on her. She was declared dead at 2:20 PM. The post-mortem examination was conducted by a team of doctors headed by Dr. T D Dogra. Dr. Dogra stated that as many as 30 bullet wounds were sustained by Indira Gandhi, from two sources, a Sten gun[24][25] and a pistol. The assailants had fired 31 bullets at her, of which 30 had hit; 23 had passed through her body while 7 were trapped inside her. Dr. Dogra extracted bullets to establish the identity of the weapons and to
Indira Gandhi correlate each weapon with the bullets recovered by ballistic examination. The bullets were matched with respective weapons at CFSL Delhi. Subsequently Dr. Dogra appeared in the court of Shri Mahesh Chandra as an expert witness (PW-5), and his testimony lasted several sessions. The cross examination was conducted by Shri P N Lekhi, the defence counsel.[26] Gandhi was cremated on 3 November near Raj Ghat. Her funeral was televised live on domestic and international stations, including the BBC. Following her cremation, millions of Sikhs were displaced and nearly three thousand were killed in anti-Sikh riots. [27] Rajiv Gandhi on a live TV show said of the carnage, "When a big tree falls, the earth shakes."
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Legacy
Indira Gandhi is associated with fostering a culture of nepotism in Indian politics and in India's institutions.[30][31] The Indira Awaas Yojana, a central government low-cost housing programme for the rural poor, is named after her. The international airport at New Delhi is named Indira Gandhi International Airport in her honour. The Indira Gandhi National Open University, the largest university in the world, is also named after her.
References
[1] "Oxford University's famous south Asian graduates#Indira Gandhi" (http:/ / news. bbc. co. uk/ local/ oxford/ hi/ people_and_places/ arts_and_culture/ newsid_8661000/ 8661776. stm). BBC News. 5 May 2010. . [2] Agrawal, Meena (2005). Indira Gandhi. New Delhi: Diamond Pocket Books. p.11. ISBN81-288-0901-6. [3] Indira: the life of Indira Nehru Gandhi (2002) [4] Sonia assures help for father-in-laws grave (http:/ / www. indianexpress. com/ oldStory/ 82389/ ) [5] Gandhi, Indira. (1982) My Truth [6] Katherine Frank, p. 303. Also lists other put-downs commonly used to describe the forty-year-old Indira Gandhi, both in the press and by her Congress colleagues. Lyndon Johnson referred to her as 'this girl'. [7] U.S. Consulate (Dacco) Cable, Sitrep: Army Terror Campaign Continues in Dacca; Evidence Military Faces Some Difficulties Elsewhere (http:/ / www. gwu. edu/ ~nsarchiv/ NSAEBB/ NSAEBB79/ BEBB6. pdf), 13 March 1971, Confidential [8] East Pakistan: Even the Skies Weep (http:/ / www. time. com/ time/ magazine/ article/ 0,9171,877316,00. html), Time Magazine, 25 October 1971. [9] Nixon's dislike of 'witch' Indira, BBC News, 29 June 2005 (http:/ / news. bbc. co. uk/ 2/ hi/ south_asia/ 4633263. stm). BBC News (2005-06-29). Retrieved on 18 June 2011. [10] "India's Green Revolution" (http:/ / indiaonestop. com/ Greenrevolution. htm). Indiaonestop.com. . Retrieved 31 October 2008. [11] Katherine Frank, p. 295 [12] Farmer, B.H., Perspectives on the 'Green Revolution' (http:/ / www. jstor. org/ pss/ 312485) Modern Asian Studies, Vol. 20 No.1 (February, 1986) p. 177 [13] Financial Markets Institutions And Financial Services Gomez Google Books (http:/ / books. google. co. uk/ books?id=AmHmS1pj57AC& pg=PA284& dq=indira+ gandhi+ bank+ nationalisation+ 1969& hl=en& sa=X& ei=NRabT_PzBMem0QW51_3yDg& redir_esc=y#v=onepage& q=indira gandhi bank nationalisation 1969& f=false) [14] Questioning Globalization by Kavaljit Singh [15] Rath, Nilakantha (1985). "'Garibi Hatao': Can IRDP Do It?". Economic and Political Weekly 20 (6): 238246. JSTOR4374060. [16] Katherine Frank, p. 372 [17] "1975: Gandhi found guilty of corruption" (http:/ / news. bbc. co. uk/ onthisday/ hi/ dates/ stories/ june/ 12/ newsid_2511000/ 2511691. stm). BBC News. 12 June 1975. .
Indira Gandhi
[18] Kochanek, Stanely, Mrs. Gandhi's Pyramid: The New Congress, (Westview Press, Boulder, CO 1976) p. 98 [19] Brass, Paul R., The Politics of India Since Independence, (Cambridge University Press, England 1995) p. 40 [20] Malhotra, Inder. Indira Gandhi. New York: Coronet Books, 1991. [21] Anandpur Resolution Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http:/ / en. wikipedia. org/ wiki/ Anandpur_Resolution) [22] Last speech of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi prior to her assassination (http:/ / www. indiastudychannel. com/ resources/ 142182-Last-speech-Indira-Gandhi-at-Bhubaneswar. aspx) [23] html (http:/ / www. indiatimepass. com/ famous_indians/ Indra-gandhi. ) [24] Indira Gandhi: Death in the Garden TIME (http:/ / www. time. com/ time/ magazine/ article/ 0,9171,926929-2,00. html) [25] Fighting for Faith and Nation: Dialogues With Sikh Militants Cynthia Keppley Mahmood Google Books (http:/ / books. google. com/ books?id=8QufTc6fAocC& pg=RA1-PA135& lpg=RA1-PA135& dq=Satwant+ Singh+ indira& source=bl& ots=p1_zpPzvuT& sig=T4rDS9m28MGpMCfGwgfitfhMry8& hl=en& ei=ZJ36Sf_uNaGgtgOoqoTOAQ& sa=X& oi=book_result& ct=result& resnum=5) [26] Dr. T D Dogra's Expert Evidence in trial of assassination of Late Mrs Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister of India (Witness No. PW 5) Raina Anupuma, Lalwani Sanjeev, Dogra TD, Dept. of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, AIIMS, N. Delhi. Indian Internet Journal of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, Year : 2009, Volume : 7, Issue : 4 [27] "Indira Gandhi's death remembered" (http:/ / news. bbc. co. uk/ 2/ hi/ south_asia/ 8306420. stm). BBC News. 1 November 2009. . [28] Dhirendra Brahmachari, Yoga Master, 7 (http:/ / www. nytimes. com/ 1994/ 06/ 10/ obituaries/ dhirendra-brahmachari-yoga-master-70. html), NY times, 10 June 1994 [29] Mrs G's String of Beaus (http:/ / www. outlookindia. com/ article. aspx?211174), Outlook India, 26 March 2001 [30] Adina Campu (2009). "History as a marker of otherness in Rohinton Mistry's "A fine balance"" (http:/ / but. unitbv. ro/ BU2009/ BULETIN2009/ Series IV/ BULETIN IV PDF/ 08_Campu_A. pdf). Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braov. Series IV: Philology and Cultural Studies 2 (51): 47. . [31] Vijay Sanghvi (1 January 2006). The Congress, Indira to Sonia Gandhi (http:/ / books. google. com/ books?id=npdqD_TXucQC& pg=PA24). Gyan Publishing House. pp.24. ISBN978-81-7835-340-1. . Retrieved 18 June 2011.
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Further reading
Ved Mehta, A Family Affair: India Under Three Prime Ministers (1982) ISBN 0-19-503118-0 Pupul Jayakar, Indira Gandhi: An Intimate Biography (1992) ISBN 978-0-679-42479-6 Katherine Frank, Indira: the life of Indira Nehru Gandhi (2002) ISBN 0-395-73097-X Ramachandra Guha, India after Gandhi: The History of the World's Largest Democracy (2007) ISBN 978-0-06-019881-7 Inder Malhotra, Indira Gandhi: A personal and political biography (1991) ISBN 0-340-53548-2 Indira Gandhi Iron Lady of India by Dr Sulakshi Thelikorala (http://www.asiantribune.com/news/2011/11/ 18/indira-gandhi-iron-lady-india)
External links
Indira Gandhi (http://www.dmoz.org/Regional/Asia/India/Society_and_Culture/History/Personalities/ Gandhi,_Indira/) at the Open Directory Project Rare pictures of Indira Gandhi (http://www.india-intro.com/jawaharlal-nehru-and-indira-gandhi.html)
Morarji Desai
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Morarji Desai
Morarji Desai
4th Prime Minister of India In office 24 March 1977 28 July 1979 President Basappa Danappa Jatti (Acting) Neelam Sanjiva Reddy Indira Gandhi Charan Singh Minister of Home Affairs In office 1 July 1978 28 July 1979 Preceded by Succeeded by Charan Singh Yashwantrao Chavan Deputy Prime Minister of India In office 13 March 1967 16 July 1969 Prime Minister Indira Gandhi Preceded by Succeeded by Vallabhbhai Patel Charan Singh Jagjivan Ram Minister of Finance In office 13 March 1967 16 July 1969 Prime Minister Indira Gandhi Preceded by Succeeded by Sachindra Chaudhuri Indira Gandhi
Preceded by Succeeded by
Morarji Desai
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In office 13 March 1958 29 August 1963 Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru Preceded by Succeeded by Jawaharlal Nehru Tiruvellore Thattai Krishnamachari Personal details Born 29 February 1896 Bhadeli, British India 10 April 1995 (aged99) New Delhi, India Janata Dal (19881995) Indian National Congress (Before 1969) Indian National Congress-Organisation (19691977) Janata Party (19771988) Wilson College, Mumbai civil servant Activist
Died
Morarji Ranchhodji Desai (Gujarati: , Hindi: ; 29 February 1896 10 April 1995) was an Indian independence activist and the fourth Prime Minister of India from 197779. He was the first Indian Prime Minister who did not belong to the Indian National Congress. After assuming the office, Desai promoted his policies and peace initiatives between Pakistan and India to avoid conflicts, such as Indo-Pakistani war of 1971. For this, he was conferred with Nishaan-e-Pakistan (Order of Pakistan). Desai is the only Indian national to receive the highest civilian award from Pakistan, the Nishaan-e-Pakistan.
Early life
Morarji Desai was born into an Anavil Brahmin family in Bhadeli, Valsad in Bombay Presidency (now in Gujarat). His schooling life of Primary section is in Saurashtra The Kundla School, Savarkundla. It's now actual name is J.V.Modi School.After he joined Bai Ava Bai High School, Valsad. After graduating from Wilson College, Mumbai, he join ed the civil service in Gujarat. Later, he left the service of the British in 1924 and joined the civil disobedience movement against British rule in India in 1930. He spent many years in jail during the freedom struggle and owing to his sharp leadership skills and tough spirit, he became a favourite amongst freedom-fighters and an important leader of the Indian National Congress in Gujarat. When provincial elections were held in 1934 and 1937, Desai was elected and served as the Revenue Minister and Home Minister of the Bombay Presidency.
Morarji Desai
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In government
Before the independence of India, he became Bombay's Home Minister and later was elected as Chief Minister of Bombay State in 1952. The state was home to Marathi linguistic movements, with calls for the creation of a separate linguistic state. Considered as a tough leader, Desai was also known for pioneering beliefs and enforcing strict discipline and authority. By Desai's orders in 1960, a demonstration by the Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti was fired upon by the police resulting in the deaths of 105 demonstrators. 105 demonstrators were killed in the incident leading to public outrage that shook the central government. The incident led to the formation of the present State of Maharashtra. As Home Minister, Desai outlawed any portrayals of indecency (which included "kissing" scenes) in films and theatrical productions. Although a staunch Gandhian, Desai was socially conservative, pro-business, and in favour of free enterprise reforms, as opposed to Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's socialistic policies.
Rising in Congress leadership, Desai was at odds with Prime Minister Nehru and his allies, and with Nehru's age and health failing, he was considered as a possible contender for the position of Prime Minister. Outflanked in the leadership contest after Nehru's death in 1964 by the Nehruvian Lal Bahadur Shastri, Desai remained content to build support within the ranks. After Shastri's death in 1966, he contested for Prime Minister and fought a closely contested election with Indira Gandhi. Desai obtained 169 votes but lost to Indira Gandhi who garnered 351.
Prime minister
Morarji Desai became the prime minister after the landslide victory of the Janata coalition in 1977. The coalition, later the janata party, was full of personal and policy friction and thus failed to achieve much owing to continuous in-wrangling and much controversy. With no party in leadership of the coalition, rival groups vied to unseat Desai. Controversial trials of prominent Congress leaders, including Indira Gandhi over Emergency-era abuses worsened the fortunes of his administration. Desai worked to improve relations with neighbour and arch-rival Pakistan and restored normal relations with China, for the first time since the 1962 war. He communicated with Zia-ul-Haq and established friendly relations. Diplomatic relations were also re-established with China. His government undid many amendments made to the constitution during emergency and made it difficult for any future government to impose national emergency. Since India's first nuclear test in 1974, Desai kept India's nuclear reactors stating "they will never be used for atomic bombs, and I will see to it if I can help it". [1] In 1977, the Carter administration sold India, heavy water and uranium for its nuclear reactors but required American on-site inspection of nuclear materials. Desai declined, seeing the American stance as contradictory, in light of its own nuclear arsenal. [2]
Morarji Desai
51
Social Service
Morarji Desai was a true Gandhian follower, social worker, institution builder and a great reformer. He was the Chancellor of Gujarat Vidyapith (university established by Mahatma Gandhi). Even during his term as the Prime Minister he used to visit and stay at Vidyapith during the month of October. He exemplified simplicity and used to write post cards himself even when he held the office of Prime Minister. Sardar Patel deputed him to conduct meetings of farmers in Kaira district which finally led to the establishment of the Amul Cooperative movement. During his rule, he withdrew intervention in Public Distribution System and rationing shops were literally lost due to cheap sugar and oil available in the market.
Family
Morarji Desai is survived by his son Kanti Desai, two grandsons Bharat and Jagdeep Desai and four great grand children. The only one of them to hold any political ambition is Madhukeshwar Desai, one of his great grand children, son of Jagdeep Desai,[5] who has taken it upon himself to revive the legacy of his illustrious great grandfather.[6] Vishaal Desai, son of Bharat Desai, is an aspiring filmmaker[7] and writer.
References
[1] http:/ / www. time. com/ time/ magazine/ article/ 0,9171,947858-2,00. html [2] http:/ / www. time. com/ time/ magazine/ article/ 0,9171,919248-3,00. html [3] Shri Morarji Desai, In my view, 1966, pp. 234-235. [4] "Kaoboys of R&AW: Down Memory Lane" by B. Raman [5] Khanna, Summit (11 Apr 2010). "Morarji's 3G scion to enter politics" (http:/ / www. dnaindia. com/ india/ report_morarji-s-3g-scion-to-enter-politics_1370053). Daily News and Analysis (DNA). DNA (Ahmedabad). . Retrieved 4 February 2012.
Morarji Desai
[6] Yagnik, Bharat (11 April 2010). "Great-grandson to revive Morarjis legacy in state" (http:/ / lite. epaper. timesofindia. com/ mobile. aspx?article=yes& pageid=5& edlabel=TOIA& mydateHid=11-04-2010& pubname=& edname=& articleid=Ar00502& format=& publabel=TOI). The Times of India. TNN. . Retrieved 4 February 2012.. . [7] "A lightly carried legacy" (http:/ / www. afternoondc. in/ interview/ a-lightly-carried-legacy/ article_23612). The Afternoon. .
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Charan Singh
Charan Singh
Chaudhary Charan Singh, the first Jat Prime Minister of India, accompanied by his wife, on his way to address the nation at the Red Fort, Delhi, Independence Day, 15 August 1979. 5th Prime Minister of India In office 28 July 1979 14 January 1980 President Deputy Preceded by Succeeded by Neelam Sanjiva Reddy Yashwantrao Chavan Morarji Desai Indira Gandhi Minister of Finance In office 24 January 1979 28 July 1979 Prime Minister Preceded by Succeeded by Morarji Desai Haribhai Patel Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Deputy Prime Minister of India In office 24 March 1977 28 July 1979 Serving with Jagjivan Ram Prime Minister Preceded by Succeeded by Morarji Desai Morarji Desai Yashwantrao Chavan Minister of Home Affairs In office 24 March 1977 1 July 1978 Prime Minister Preceded by Succeeded by Morarji Desai Kasu Brahmananda Reddy Morarji Desai Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh In office 18 February 1970 1 October 1970 Governor Preceded by Succeeded by Bezawada Gopala Reddy Chandra Bhanu Gupta Tribhuvan Narain Singh
Charan Singh
53
In office 3 April 1967 25 February 1968 Governor Biswanath Das Bezawada Gopala Reddy Chandra Bhanu Gupta Chandra Bhanu Gupta Personal details
Preceded by Succeeded by
Born
23 December 1902 Noorpur, British India 29 May 1987 (aged84) Janata Party-Secular (19791987) Indian National Congress (Before 1967) Bharatiya Lok Dal (19671977) Janata Party (19771979) Gayatri Devi Agra University Hinduism
Chaudhary Charan Singh (Caudhar Cara Sih; 23 December 1902 29 May 1987) was the fifth Prime Minister of the Republic of India, serving from 28 July 1979 until 14 January 1980. Born into a Jat family in 1902,[1][2] Charan Singh entered politics as part of the Independence Movement. After independence he became particularly notable in the 1950s for opposing and winning a battle against Nehru's socialistic and collectivist land use policies, for the sake of the Indian Farmer, which endeared him to the agrarian communities throughout the nation, particularly in his native Uttar Pradesh. The leader of the Bharatiya Lok Dal, a major constituent of the Janata coalition, he was disappointed in his ambition to become Prime Minister in 1977 by Jayaprakash Narayan's choice of Morarji Desai. He settled at the time for the largely honorary post of Deputy Prime Minister of India.During 1977 Lok Sabha Elections, there was not a single party, hence it was problem, which symbol has to be adopted (many parties joined the front to contest the elections after emergency was over). Hence, a request was made to Chaudhary Charan Singh (Lok Dal) and he agreed to release his party-Lok Dal's symbol "HALDHAR'. This symbol was locked in that elections, but a promise was made to Chaudhary Charan Singh that he would be Prime Minister if the front won that election, but this promise was never kept by other party leaders, hence,Chaudhary Charan Singh had a knot in his heart, resulting in a revolt; when the time came he became Prime Minister. However, the internal stresses of the coalition's government caused him to leave the government with the former Lok Dal, after being promised by Indira Gandhi the support of the Congress Party on the floor of the House in any efforts to form a government. He was sworn in as Prime Minister with the support of just 64 MPs. Charan Singh holds the record of the sole Prime Minister of India who did not face the Loksabha even for a single day during his short tenure of just a month. The day before the Lok Sabha was due to meet for the first time the Indian National Congress withdrew their support from his Bharatiya Lok Dal Government. Choudhary Charan Singh resigned and fresh elections were held six months later. He continued to lead the Lok Dal in opposition till his death in 1987, when he was succeeded as party president by his son Ajit Singh. His association with the causes dear to farming communities in the North caused his memorial in New Delhi to be named Kisan Ghat. (In Hindi, Kisan is the word for farmer.)
Charan Singh The Amausi Airport in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh is also called as Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport after him. The university of Meerut city in Uttar Pradesh, India, is also named after him (Chaudhary Charan Singh University).
54
Independent India
In 1952, he became the Revenue Minister of state of Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state in independent India. He was dedicated to enforcing and implementing the provisions of the Zamindari Abolition and Land Reform Act of which he was the major architect. It has been argued by leading political scientists that success of Indian Democracy lies in successful implementation of this reform. Pakistan on the other hand did not have similar reforms, and the power is concentrated amongst the few powerful landlords or Zamindar who run their lands as their private fiefdom, and use their influence to further their wealth. Charan Singh opposed Nehru on his Soviet Style Economic reform. Charan Singh was of the opinion that cooperative farms would not succeed in India. Being a son of a farmer, Charan Singh opined that the right of ownership was important to the farmer in remaining a cultivator. Charan Singh's political career suffered due to his open criticism of Nehru's economic policy. Charan Singh left the Congress party in 1967, and formed his own political party. With the help and support of Raj Narain and Ram Manohar Lohia, he became Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh in 1967, and later in 1970. In 1975, he was jailed again, but this time by then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, daughter of his former rival Nehru. She had declared the state of 'Indian Emergency (1975-1977)' and jailed all her political opponents. The Indian populace voted her out, and the opposition party, of which Chaudhary Charan Singh was a senior leader came into power. He served as Deputy prime minister and home minister in Janata government headed by Morarji Desai. Chaudhary Charan Singh became Prime Minister in 1979 after Morarji Desai. His speech to the nation on India's Independence Day (15 August 1979) was very prophetic in which he identified Pakistan's nuclear ambition as a major threat to India. He also mentioned that Indian labour laws had to be refined if India were to become competitive in world economy. He also opened high level diplomatic relations with Israel, which Indira Gandhi's government which took office following the 1980 elections curtailed.'
Charan Singh Charan Singh died on 29 May 1987. He was survived by his wife, Gayatri Devi and 5 children. His son Ajit Singh is currently the president of his political party Bharatiya Lok Dal. His grandson Jayant Chaudhary is recently elected to 15th Lok Sabha from Mathura. Charan Singh has written several books. Some of them are: India's Economic Policy - The Gandhian Blueprint Economic Nightmare of India - Its Cause and Cure Cooperative Farming X-rayed
55
References
[1] The Churchill Centre (2002). "India: Making headway with the critics" (http:/ / www. winstonchurchill. org/ i4a/ pages/ index. cfm?pageid=932). The Churchill Centre (http:/ / www. winstonchurchill. org). . Retrieved 2006-07-11. [2] Rediff.Com (2003-11-27). "The anti-reservation man" (http:/ / ia. rediff. com/ election/ 2003/ nov/ 27akd. htm). Rediff.Com (http:/ / ia. rediff. com). . Retrieved 2006-11-18.
Rajiv Gandhi
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Rajiv Gandhi
Rajiv Ratna Gandhi
6th Prime Minister of India In office 31 October 1984 2 December 1989 President Zail Singh Ramaswamy Venkataraman Indira Gandhi Vishwanath Pratap Singh
Preceded by Succeeded by
Minister of External Affairs In office 25 July 1987 25 June 1988 Preceded by Succeeded by Narayan Dutt Tiwari Narasimha Rao
In office 31 October 1984 25 September 1985 Preceded by Succeeded by Indira Gandhi Bali Ram Bhagat
Minister of Finance In office 24 January 1987 25 July 1987 Preceded by Succeeded by Vishwanath Pratap Singh Narayan Dutt Tiwari
Minister of Defence In office 25 September 1985 24 January 1987 Preceded by Succeeded by Narasimha Rao Vishwanath Pratap Singh
Rajiv Gandhi
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Personal details Born 20 August 1944 Bombay, British India 21 May 1991 (aged46) Sriperumbudur, India
Died
Political party Indian National Congress Spouse(s) Children Sonia Gandhi Rahul Priyanka Trinity College, Cambridge Imperial College, London Hinduism
Alma mater
Religion Signature
Rajiv Ratna Gandhi /rdivndi/ (pronunciation; 20 August 1944 21 May 1991) was the sixth Prime Minister of India (19841989). He took office after his mother's assassination on 31 October 1984; he himself was assassinated on 21 May 1991. He became the youngest Prime Minister of India when he took office at the age of 40. Rajiv Gandhi was the eldest son of Indira and Feroze Gandhi. He went to study at Trinity College, Cambridge, and later at Imperial College London, but did not complete a degree at either. At Cambridge he met the Italian-born Antonia Albina Maino, then a waitress in a restaurant, whom he later married. After dropping out of university, he became a professional pilot for Indian Airlines. He remained aloof from politics, despite his family's political prominence. Following the death of his younger brother Sanjay Gandhi in 1980 Rajiv entered politics. Following the assassination of his mother in 1984 after Operation Blue Star, the Indian National Congress party leaders nominated him to be Prime Minister. Rajiv Gandhi led the Congress to a major election victory in 1984 soon after, amassing the largest majority ever seen in the Indian Parliament, the Congress party winning 411 seats out of 542. He began dismantling the License Raj government quotas, tariffs and permit regulations on economic activity modernised the telecommunications industry, the education system, expanded science and technology initiatives and improved relations with the United States.[1] In 1988, Gandhi reversed the coup in Maldives antagonising the militant Tamil outfits such as PLOTE.[2] He was also responsible for first intervening and then sending Indian troops (Indian Peace Keeping Force or IPKF) for peace efforts in Sri Lanka in 1987, which soon ended in open conflict with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.[3] In mid-1987, the Bofors scandal broke his honest, corruption-free image and resulted in a major defeat for his party in the 1989 elections. Rajiv Gandhi remained Congress President until the elections in 1991. While campaigning, he was assassinated by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. His widow Sonia Gandhi became the leader of the Congress party in 1998, and led the party to victory in the 2004 elections. His son Rahul Gandhi is a Member of Parliament and the General Secretary of All India Congress Committee.[4] Rajiv Gandhi was posthumously awarded the Highest National Award of India, Bharat Ratna (1991), joining a list of 40 luminaries, including Indira Gandhi.[5] Rajiv Gandhi was an active amateur radio operator, and used the callsign VU2RG.[6] He also founded INTACH in 1984 that seeks to preserve India's art and cultural heritage.
Rajiv Gandhi
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Education
At the time of his father's death, Rajiv was away at a private boarding school for boys: initially at the Welham Boys' School and later The Doon School, both located in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. He was sent to London in 1961 to study his A-levels. In 1962, he was offered a place at Trinity College, Cambridge, to study engineering. Rajiv stayed at Cambridge until 1965. In 1966, he was offered and took up a place at Imperial College London, but after a year left that course also without a degree. In January 1965, he met Italian Antonia (Sonia) Maino in Varsity restaurant in Cambridge, where she worked as a waitress. Antonia was studying English at Lennox School of Languages (which was not associated with the University of Cambridge). Rajiv and Sonia were married in 1968 in India. Rajiv began working for Indian Airlines as a professional pilot while his mother became Prime Minister in 1966. He exhibited no interest in politics and did not live regularly with his mother in Delhi at the Prime Minister's residence. In 1970, his wife gave birth to their first child Rahul Gandhi, and in 1972, to Priyanka Gandhi, their second. Even as Rajiv remained aloof from politics, his younger brother Sanjay became a close advisor to their mother.
Rajiv Gandhi
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Premiership
Rajiv Gandhi was in West Bengal when his mother, Indira Gandhi was assassinated on 31 October 1984 by two of her Sikh bodyguards, Satwant Singh and Beant Singh, to avenge the military attack on the Harmandir Sahib (Sikhism's holiest shrine, also called "The Golden Temple") during Operation Blue Star. Top Congress leaders, as well as President Zail Singh pressed Rajiv to become India's Prime Minister, within hours of his mother's assassination by two of her Sikh bodyguards. Commenting on the anti-Sikh riots in the national capital Delhi, Rajiv Gandhi said, "When a giant tree falls, the earth below Rajiv Gandhi (right) in 1984. shakes";[10] a statement for which he was widely criticised. Many Congress politicians were accused of orchestrating the violence.[11] Soon after assuming office, Rajiv asked President Zail Singh to dissolve Parliament and hold fresh elections, as the Lok Sabha completed its five year term. Rajiv Gandhi also officially became the President of the Congress party. The Congress party won a landslide victory with the largest majority in history of Indian Parliament<ref name=%26quot%3B%26quot%3B%26quot%3Bautogenerated1%26quot%3B%26gt%3B[https%3A%2F%2Fptop.only.wip.la%3A443%2Fhttp%2Fnews%2Ebbc%2Eco%2 BBC ON THIS DAY | 29 | 1984: Rajiv Gandhi wins landslide election victory]</ref> giving Gandhi absolute control of government. He also benefited from his youth and a general perception of being free of a background in corrupt politics.[12]
Economic policy
He increased government support for science and technology and associated industries, and reduced import quotas, taxes and tariffs on technology-based industries, especially computers, airlines, defence and telecommunications. He introduced measures significantly reducing the License Raj, allowing businesses and individuals to purchase capital, consumer goods and import without bureaucratic restrictions.[1] In 1986, he announced a National Policy on Education to modernise and expand higher education programs across India. He founded the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya System in 1986 which is a Central government based institution that concentrates on the upliftment of the rural section of the society providing them free residential education from 6th till 12 grade.[13] His efforts created MTNL in 1986, and his public call offices, better known as PCOs, helped spread telephones in rural areas.[14]
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Foreign policy
Rajiv Gandhi began leading in a direction significantly different from his mother's socialism. He improved bilateral relations with the United States long strained owing to Indira's socialism and friendship with the USSR and expanded economic and scientific cooperation.[15] During his state visit to the Soviet Union he met with Premier Nikolai Tikhonov, Andrey Gromyko of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Mikhail Gorbachev.
Security policy
Rajiv authorised an extensive police and army campaign to contain terrorism in Punjab. A state of martial law existed in the Punjab state, and civil liberties, commerce and tourism were greatly disrupted.[16] There are many accusations of human rights violations by police officials as well as by the militants during this period. It is alleged that even as the situation in Punjab came under control, the Indian government was offering arms and training to the LTTE rebels fighting the government of Sri Lanka. The Indo-Sri Lanka Peace Accord was Rajiv Gandhi (left) congratulates an Indian Army signed by Rajiv Gandhi and the Sri Lankan President J.R.Jayewardene, explorer for reaching the South Pole. in Colombo on 29 July 1987. The very next day, on 30 July 1987, Rajiv Gandhi was assaulted on the head with a rifle butt by a young Sinhalese naval cadet named Vijayamunige Rohana de Silva, while receiving the honour guard. The intended assault on the back of Rajiv Gandhi's head glanced off his shoulder. With his speech while addressing the Joint Session of the US Congress and India, he said, "India is an old country, but a young nation; and like the young everywhere, we are impatient. I am young and I too have a dream. I dream of an India, strong, independent, self reliant and in the forefront of the front ranks of the nations of the world in the service of mankind."[17]
Controversies
Anti Sikh riots
This refers to the statement of Rajiv Gandhi as Prime Minister at a Boat Club rally 19-days after the assassination of Indira Gandhi, which read as Some riots took place in the country following the murder of Indiraji. We know the people were very angry and for a few days it seemed that India had been shaken. But, when a mighty tree falls, it is only natural that the earth around it does shake a little.[18] This statement sent a wrong signal to the authorities, who adopted a callous approach of not allowing the truth to come out despite the government setting up probe panels one after the other, including two full fledged judicial commissions, the first headed by retired Chief Justice of India Ranganath Misra and the second by a former apex court judge G.T. Nanavati. According to the authors of the book titled When a Tree Shook Delhi written by senior advocate H.S. Phoolka and co-author, journalist Manoj Mitta (who have based the details of the book mainly on evidence produced before the nine panels and trial courts and high courts in the form of sworn affidavits by hundreds of witnesses). Based on eyewitness accounts the book said that instead of targeting the aggressors the police cracked down on the Sikh victims, who had been defending their properties when they were attacked by hooligans led by local Congress leaders.[18]
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Bofors scandal
Rajiv Gandhi's finance minister, V. P. Singh, uncovered compromising details about government and political corruption, to the consternation of Congress leaders. Transferred to the Defence ministry, Singh uncovered what became known as the Bofors scandal, involving tens of millions of dollars concerned alleged payoffs by the Swedish Bofors arms company through Italian businessman and Gandhi family associate Ottavio Quattrocchi, in return for Indian contracts. Upon the uncovering of the scandal, Singh was dismissed from office, and later from Congress membership. Rajiv Gandhi himself was later personally implicated in the scandal when the investigation was continued by Narasimhan Ram and Chitra Subramaniam of The Hindu newspaper. This shattered his image as an honest politician; he was posthumously cleared over this allegation in 2004.[19] Opposition parties united under Singh to form the Janata Dal coalition. In the 1989 election, the Congress suffered a major setback. With the support of Indian communists and the Bharatiya Janata Party, Singh and his Janata Dal formed a government. Rajiv Gandhi became the Leader of the Opposition, while remaining Congress president. While some believe that Rajiv and Congress leaders influenced the collapse of V. P. Singh's government in October 1990 by promising support to Chandra Shekhar, a high-ranking leader in the Janata Dal, sufficient internal contradictions existed, within the ruling coalition, especially over the controversial reservation issue, to cause a fall of government. Rajiv's Congress offered outside support briefly to Chandra Sekhar, who became Prime Minister. They withdrew their support in 1991, and fresh elections were announced.
Rajiv Gandhi
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Rajiv Gandhi
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Assassination
Rajiv Gandhi's last public meeting was at Sriperumbudur on 21 May 1991, in a village approximately 30 miles from Chennai, Tamil Nadu, where he was assassinated while campaigning for the Sriperumbudur Lok Sabha Congress candidate.[32] The assassination was carried out by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. At 10:10pm,a woman (later identified as Thenmuli Rajaratnam) approached Rajiv Gandhi in a public meeting and greeted him. She then bent down to touch his feet (an expression of respect among Indians) and detonated a belt laden with 700grams of RDX explosives tucked under her dress.[33] The explosion killed Rajiv Gandhi and at least 14 other people. The assassination was caught on film through the lens of a local photographer, whose camera and film were found at the site. The cameraman himself died in the blast but the camera remained intact. The Rajiv Gandhi Memorial was built at the site recently and is one of the major tourist attractions of the small industrial town.
The stone mosaic that stands at the location where Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in Sriperumbudur
The Supreme Court judgement, by Judge Thomas, confirmed that the killing was carried out due to personal animosity of the LTTE chief Prabhakaran towards Mr Rajiv Gandhi arising out of his sending the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) to Sri Lanka and the alleged IPKF atrocities against Srilankan Tamils. The Rajiv Gandhi administration had already antagonised other Tamil militant organisations like PLOTE for reversing the military coup in Maldives back in 1988. The judgment further cites the death of Thileepan in a hunger strike and the suicide by 12 LTTE cadres in a vessel in Oct 1987.
In the Jain Commission report, various people and agencies are named as suspected of having been involved in the murder of Rajiv Gandhi. Among them, the cleric Chandraswami was suspected of involvement, including financing the assassination.[34][35][36] The interim report of the Jain Commission created a storm when it accused Karunanidhi of a role in the assassination, leading to Congress withdrawing its support for the I. K. Gujral government and fresh elections in 1998. LTTE The Rajiv Gandhi Memorial at Sriperumbudur spokesman Anton Balasingham told the Indian television channel NDTV that the killing was a "great tragedy, a monumental historical tragedy which we deeply regret."[37][38] A memorial christened Veer Bhumi was constructed at his cremation spot in Delhi. In 1992, the Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award was instituted by All India Congress Committee (AICC) of the Indian National Congress Party (INC).
Rajiv Gandhi The International Airport constructed at Hyderabad has been named Rajiv Gandhi International Airport and was inaugurated by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.
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Further reading
Sachi Sri Kantha; Pirabhakaran Phenomenon, Lively Comet Imprint,2005;641 pp (chapters 24 to 35, pp.207352, cover in detail the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi) "Working with Rajiv Gandhi" by R.D. Pradhan Mani Shankar Aiyar "Remembering Rajiv", Rupa, New Delhi, 1992
References
[1] Unequal effects of Liberalisation Dismantling the license raj in India (http:/ / www. princeton. edu/ ~reddings/ pubpapers/ ABRZ_AER_Sept2008. pdf). . [2] "Indian Troops end coup in Maldives" (http:/ / query. nytimes. com/ gst/ fullpage. html?res=940DE3DE163CF936A35752C1A96E948260). New York Times. 5 November 1988. . Retrieved 19 February 2011. [3] "IPKF should not have been sent to Sri Lanka" (http:/ / punemirror. in/ index. aspx?Page=article& sectname=News - City& sectid=2& contentid=20090424200904240241161484ad7e39b). Pune Mirror. 29 April 2009. . Retrieved 19 February 2011. [4] In UP village, Miliband, Rahul Gandhi spend a night in a Dalit womans hut (http:/ / www. indianexpress. com/ news/ in-up-village-miliband-rahul-gandhi-spend-a-night-in-a-dalit-womans-hut/ 411395/ ), The Indian Express, 16 January 2009 [5] "Padma Awards Directory (19542007)" (http:/ / www. mha. nic. in/ pdfs/ PadmaAwards1954-2007. pdf). Ministry of Home Affairs. . Retrieved 7 December 2010. [6] "HAMs to meet at SEANET" (http:/ / www. qsl. net/ vu2kyp/ ham14. htm). . Retrieved 19 February 2011. [7] "We aren't family" (http:/ / www. indianexpress. com/ flair/ 20020120/ 1. html). The Indian Express. 20 January 2002. . Retrieved 19 February 2011. [8] Tariq Ali. The Nehrus and the Gandhis: An Indian dynasty. Pan Books, London 1985, Revised edn 1991.p. 134 [9] Shashi Bhushan, M.P. (1977). Feroze Gandhi: A political Biography. Progressive People's Sector Publications, New Delhi,.p.75 [10] "Back to the dynasty" (http:/ / www. hinduonnet. com/ fline/ fl1504/ 15040190. htm). Frontline. Hinduonnet.com. 6 March 1998. . Retrieved 7 March 2010. [11] "World | South Asia | Leaders 'incited' anti-Sikh riots" (http:/ / news. bbc. co. uk/ 1/ hi/ world/ south_asia/ 4130962. stm). BBC News. 8 August 2005. . Retrieved 7 March 2010. [12] "End of the road" (http:/ / www. hinduonnet. com/ fline/ fl2701/ stories/ 19910621009. htm). Frontline. 2 January 2005. . Retrieved 19 February 2011. [13] "Rajiv Gandhi aimed at value based education in rural India through JNVs" (http:/ / www. basearticles. com/ Art/ 65874/ 216/ Rajiv-Gandhi-aimed-at-value-based-education-in-rural-India-through-JNVs. html). Pressbrief. . Retrieved 19 February 2011. [14] "MTNL Letter" (http:/ / meachq. in/ html/ rahul_memo. pdf). 16 September 2009. . Retrieved 19 February 2011. [15] "Rajiv Gandhi Biography Rajiv Gandhi Life & Profile" (http:/ / www. culturalindia. net/ leaders/ rajiv-gandhi. html). Culturalindia.net. . Retrieved 7 March 2010. [16] "Bad to Worse" (http:/ / www. highbeam. com/ doc/ 1G1-6398483. html). The Economist. . Retrieved 19 February 2011. [17] "Untitled-6" (http:/ / www. congresssandesh. com/ june-2005/ june2005. pdf) (PDF). June 2005. . Retrieved 7 March 2010. [18] S.S. Negi (31 October 2007). "84 Anti-Sikh riot Probes: Book presents gloomy picture of justice denied" (http:/ / www. tribuneindia. com/ 2007/ 20071031/ nation. htm#8). The Tribune, Chandigarh, India. . Retrieved 3 March 2011. [19] "Rajiv Gandhi cleared over bribery" (http:/ / news. bbc. co. uk/ 1/ hi/ world/ south_asia/ 3458319. stm). BBC News. 4 February 2004. . Retrieved 7 March 2010. [20] Sri Lanka Truth (http:/ / www. srilankatruth. com/ PeaceTalks/ LTTE-SLGTalks. php) [21] K T Rajasingham. "Sri Lanka: The Untold story Chapter 43: Aftermath of the Indian withdrawal" (http:/ / www. atimes. com/ ind-pak/ DF08Df01. html). Asia Times Online. Atimes.com. . Retrieved 7 March 2010. [22] BBC India's Sri Lankan predicament (http:/ / news. bbc. co. uk/ 1/ hi/ world/ south_asia/ 5126230. stm) [23] "Shah Bano Rajiv Gandhi" (http:/ / homepages. uc. edu/ thro/ shahbano/ sb-rajiv. htm). Homepages.uc.edu. . Retrieved 7 March 2010. [24] Jethmalani, Ram (17 December 2010). "Dacoits have looted India" (http:/ / indiatoday. intoday. in/ story/ dacoits+ have+ looted+ india/ 1/ 123602. html). India Today. . Retrieved 30 December 2011. [25] Gisler, Daniela (11 November 1991). "Fluchtgelder Die Schweizer Konten der Diktatoren [Flight capital the Swiss accounts of the dictators]" (http:/ / www. schweizer-illustrierte. ch/ sites/ default/ files/ SI-46-1991-Seiten-38-41. pdf) (in German). Schweizer Illustrierte (Zrich, Switzerland: Ringier AG) (46): 3841. . Retrieved 30 December 2011. [26] Gurumurthy, S (30 January 2011). "Zero tolerance, secret billions" (http:/ / expressbuzz. com/ biography/ zero-tolerance-secret-billions/ 236261. html). The New Indian Express. . Retrieved 30 December 2011.
Rajiv Gandhi
[27] "Dr Subramanian Swamy asks CBI to take action on Rajiv Gandhi's family's black money accounts" (http:/ / www. moneylife. in/ article/ dr-subramanian-swamy-asks-cbi-to-take-action-on-gandhi-familys-black-money-accounts/ 22045. html). Moneylife. 7 December 2011. . Retrieved 30 December 2011. [28] "Lokpal debate: Ram Jethmalani creates ruckus in Rajya Sabha" (http:/ / indiatoday. intoday. in/ story/ lokpal-bill-debate-in-rajya-sabha-ram-jethmalani/ 1/ 166383. html). India Today. 29 December 2011. . Retrieved 30 December 2011. [29] Swamy, Subramanian. "Sonia's KGB Connections: Annexure 12" (http:/ / janataparty. org/ annexures/ ann12p55. html). Chennai, India: Janata Party. . Retrieved 30 December 2011. "News Clipping from Times of India 27.6.92 and Hindu dt. July 4, 92 regarding receipt of payment by Rajiv Gandhi & family from KGB." [30] Puri, Rajinder (15 August 2006). "How Free Is India?" (http:/ / www. outlookindia. com/ article. aspx?232223). Outlook India. . Retrieved 30 December 2011. [31] Albats, Yevgenia; Fitzpatrick, Catherine (1999) [1994]. The State Within a State: The KGB and its Hold on Russia-Past, Present, and Future (http:/ / books. google. com/ books?id=9PBjk03E814C& printsec=frontcover& ei=-EL9ToKSBOn10gGO5YixAg& ved=0CDEQ6AEwAA#v=onepage& q=gandhi& f=false). London, United Kingdom: Macmillan. p.223. ISBN0-374-52738-5, 9780374527389. . Retrieved 30 December 2011. "A letter signed by Viktor Chebrikov, who replaced Andropov as the KGB head in 1982 noted: "the USSR KGB maintains contact with the son of the Premier Minister Rajiv Gandhi [of India] ... R Gandhi expresses deep gratitude for the benefits accruing to the Prime Minister's family from the commercial dealings of the firm he controls in co-operation with the Soviet foreign trade organisations. R Gandhi reports confidentially that a substantial portion of the funds obtained through this channel are used to support the party of R Gandhi."" [32] N Sathiya Moorthy (January 1998). "Sonia checks her emotions, but her interpreter goes full throttle" (http:/ / www. rediff. com/ news/ 1998/ jan/ 11soni1. htm). Rediff On The NeT. Rediff.com. . Retrieved 7 March 2010. [33] Ramesh Vinayak (1 February 1999). "The Nation: Terrorism: The RDX Files" (http:/ / www. india-today. com/ itoday/ 01021999/ rdx. html). India-today.com. . Retrieved 7 March 2010. [34] outlookindia.com (http:/ / www. outlookindia. com/ pti_print. asp?id=266715) [35] Rtiu Sarin (11 July 1998). "Probe Chandraswami's role in Rajiv case Jain report" (http:/ / www. expressindia. com/ ie/ daily/ 19980711/ 19250694. html). The Indian Express. . Retrieved 7 March 2010. [36] (http:/ / www. deccanherald. com/ deccanherald/ dec112004/ i2. asp) [37] "We deeply regret Rajiv's death: LTTE" (http:/ / www. expressindia. com/ fullstory. php?newsid=70062). The Indian Express. 27 June 2006. . Retrieved 7 March 2010. [38] "Tamil Tiger 'regret' over Gandhi" (http:/ / news. bbc. co. uk/ 2/ hi/ south_asia/ 5122032. stm). BBC News. 27 June 2006. . Retrieved 7 March 2010.
65
External links
A Profile (http://pmindia.nic.in/pm_rajiv.htm) Press Brief in (http://www.pressbrief.in/) TERRORIST AND DISRUPTIVE ACTIVITIES (PREVENTION) ACT, 1987 (http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/ countries/india/document/actandordinances/TADA.HTM) QRZ Ham Radio Callsign Database VU2RG (http://www.qrz.com/database?callsign=VU2RG) Rajiv Gandhi Memorial SEANET Convention (http://www.qsl.net/vu2kyp/ham12.html)
V. P. Singh
66
V. P. Singh
Vishwanath Pratap Singh
7th Prime Minister of India In office 2 December 1989 10 November 1990 President Deputy Preceded by Succeeded by Ramaswamy Venkataraman Chaudhary Devi Lal Rajiv Gandhi Chandra Shekhar Minister of Defence In office 2 December 1989 10 November 1990 Preceded by Succeeded by Krishna Chandra Pant Chandra Shekhar Singh
In office 24 January 1987 12 April 1987 Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi Preceded by Succeeded by Rajiv Gandhi Krishna Chandra Pant Minister of Finance In office 31 December 1984 23 January 1987 Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi Preceded by Succeeded by Pranab Mukherjee Rajiv Gandhi
Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh In office 9 June 1980 19 July 1982 Governor Preceded by Succeeded by Chandeshwar Prasad Narayan Singh Banarsi Das Sripati Mishra Personal details Born 25 June 1931 Allahabad, British Raj (now India) 27 November 2008 (aged77) New Delhi, India Jan Morcha (19871988; 20062008) Indian National Congress (Before 1987) Janata Dal (19882006)
Died
V. P. Singh
67
Alma mater Allahabad University University of Pune Hinduism
Religion Signature
Vishwanath Pratap Singh (25 June 1931 27 November 2008) was the seventh Prime Minister of India and the 41st Raja Bahadur of Manda.
Early life
He was born in the Rajput Gaharwar (Rathore) Royal Family of Manda to Raja Bhagwati Prasad Singh of Daiya and was later adopted by Raja Bahadur Ram Gopal Singh of Manda in 1936, whom he succeeded in 1941. V. P. Singh studied at Colonel Brown Cambridge School, Dehradun for five years, and entered local politics in Allahabad during the Nehru era. He married Rani Sita Kumari, born 1936 in Deogarh, Udaipur, daughter of Rawat Sangram Singh II of Deogarh on 25 June 1955. He soon made a name for himself in the state Congress Party for his unfailing rectitude, a reputation that he would carry with him throughout his career.
V. P. Singh
68
In Opposition
Jan Morcha, Janata Dal, and National Front
Together with associates Arun Nehru and Arif Mohammad Khan, Singh floated an opposition party named the Jan Morcha.[5] He was re-elected to Lok Sabha in a tightly contested by-election from Allahabad, defeating Sunil Shastri.[6][7] On 11 October 1988, the birthday of the original Janata coalition's spiritual leader Jayaprakash Narayan, the Janata Dal was formed by merger of Jan Morcha, Janata Party, Lok Dal and Congress (S), in order to bring together all the centrist parties opposed to the Rajiv Gandhi government, and V. P. Singh was elected the President of the Janata Dal. A federation of the Janata Dal with various regional parties including the DMK, TDP, and AGP, came into being, called the National Front, with V. P. Singh as convener, N. T. Rama Rao as President, and Leader of the Opposition, P. Upendra as a General Secretary.[8]
Prime minister
Cabinet
The V. P. Singh Cabinet OFFICE Prime Minister Deputy Prime minister Home affairs External affairs Defence Finance Agriculture NAME V. P. Singh Chaudhary Devi Lal Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, Subodh Kant Sahay (MoS) I. K. Gujral retained by the PM Madhu Dandavate Chaudhary Devi Lal, Nitish Kumar (MoS)
Information & Broadcasting; Parliamentary Affairs P. Upendra Law and Justice Dinesh Goswami
V. P. Singh
69
Commerce & Tourism Civil Aviation & Energy Railways; Kashmir affairs Shipping & Transport Petroleum & Chemicals Textiles Industry Labour & Employment Environment & Forests Telecommunications Urban Development Water Resources President Vice-President Speaker Leader of the Opposition President, Janata Dal President, National Front Cabinet Secretary Arun Nehru, Arangil Sreedharan (MoS) Arif Mohammad Khan George Fernandes Janeshwar Mishra M. S. Gurupadaswamy Sharad Yadav Chaudhary Ajit Singh Ram Vilas Paswan Nilamani Routray, Maneka Gandhi (MoS) K. P. Unnikrishnan Murasoli Maran Manubhai Kotadia (MoS) R. Venkataraman Shankar Dayal Sharma Rabi Ray Rajiv Gandhi S. R. Bommai N. T. Rama Rao V. C. Pande
Singh held office for slightly less than a year, from 2 December 1989 to 10 November 1990. During this time, Janata Dal came to power in 5 Indian states under Om Prakash Chautala (Banarsi Das Gupta, Hukam Singh), Chimanbhai Patel, Biju Patnaik, Laloo Prasad Yadav, and Mulayam Singh Yadav, and the National Front constituents in three more under M. Karunanidhi, N. T. Rama Rao, and Prafulla Kumar Mahanta. The Janata Dal also shared power in Kerala under E. K. Nayanar and in Rajasthan under Bhairon Singh Shekhawat (supporting the BJP government from outside).
V. P. Singh
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Babri Masjid
Meanwhile the BJP was moving its own agenda forward: in particular, the Ram Janmabhoomi agitation, which served as a rallying cry for several radical Hindu organisations, took on new life. The party president, L. K. Advani, with Pramod Mahajan as aide, toured the northern states on a rath a bus converted to look like a mythical chariot with the intention of drumming up support.[18] Before he could complete the tour by reaching the disputed site in Ayodhya, he was arrested on Singh's orders at Samastipur on the charges of disturbing the peace and fomenting communal tension. The kr-seva (demolition of the mosque and construction of the temple) proposed by Advani on 30 October 1990 was prevented by stationing troops at the site.[19][20][21] This led to the BJP's suspension of support to the National Front government.[22] V. P. Singh faced the vote of confidence saying that he occupied the high moral ground, as he stood for secularism, had saved the Babri Masjid at the cost of power and had upheld the fundamental principles which were challenged during the crises; `What kind of India do you want?', he asked of his opponents of various shades in Parliament before losing the vote 142346;[23][24][25] only the portion of the National Front remaining loyal to him (see below) and the Left front supported him in the vote.
Chandra Shekhar
Chandra Shekhar immediately seized the moment and left the Janata Dal with several of his own supporters (including Devi Lal, Janeshwar Mishra, H. D. Deve Gowda, Maneka Gandhi, Ashoke Kumar Sen, Subodh Kant Sahay, Om Prakash Chautala, Hukam Singh, Chimanbhai Patel, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Yashwant Sinha, V. C. Shukla, and Sanjay Singh) to form the Samajwadi Janata Party / Janata Dal (Socialist).[26] Although he had a mere 64 MPs, Rajiv Gandhi, the leader of the Opposition, agreed to support him on the floor of the House; so he won a confidence motion and was sworn in as Prime Minister.[27] 8 Janata Dal MPs who voted for this motion were disqualified by the speaker Rabi Ray. He lasted only a few months before Gandhi withdrew support and fresh elections were called. He tried his best to get support till the last minute but failed.
V. P. Singh
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Aftermath
Singh contested the new elections but his party was relegated to the opposition[28][29] chiefly due to the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi during the election campaign, and he later retired from active politics. He spent the next few years touring the country speaking about matters related to issues of social justice and his artistic pursuits, chiefly painting. In the H. D. Deve Gowda and I. K. Gujral governments of the late 1990s, Singh acted as a sort of elder statesman and adviser for the successors to the National Front coalition. In 1992, Singh was the first to propose the name of the future President K. R. Narayanan as a (eventually successful) candidate for Vice President. Later the same year in December, he led his followers to Ayodhya to oppose the Kar seva proposed by L. K. Advani, and was arrested before he could reach the site; the Masjid was demolished by the kar sevaks a few days later. He was diagnosed with cancer in 1998 and ceased his public appearances.
Agitation at Dadri
Singh was placed under arrest in Ghaziabad as he and his supporters were proceeding towards a hauling where prohibitory orders under Section 144 had been imposed to join the farmers agitating against the acquisition of land at Dadri by the Anil Ambani-owned Reliance Industries and demanding adequate compensation.[31] Later, Singh and CPI General Secretary A. B. Bardhan[32] were again arrested on the U. P. border when they were proceeding to Dadri. However, Singh and Babbar were later able to evade the police, reaching Dadri on 18 August 2006, and ploughing the land in solidarity with the farmers.[33][34]
Death
V. P. Singh died after a long struggle with multiple myeloma (bone marrow cancer) and renal failure at Apollo Hospital in Delhi on 27 November 2008.[35][36] It is also noted that he died during the 26/11 attacks. He was cremated at Allahabad on the banks of the River Ganges on 29 November 2008, his son Ajeya Singh lighting the funeral pyre.[37]
V. P. Singh Congress.[42]
72
Films on V. P. Singh
Juliet Reynolds, an art critic and a close friend of Singh, made a short documentary on him, titled The Art of the Impossible (45 minutes long), and covers his political and artistic career.[43] Suma Josson made another film on Singh titled One more day to live.[44]
Books on V. P. Singh
G. S. Bhargava: Peristroika in India: V. P. Singh's Prime ministership, Gian publishing house, New Delhi, 1990. Madan Gaur: V. P. Singh: portrait of a leader, Press and Publicity Syndicate of India, 1990. Seema Mustafa: The lonely prophet: V. P. Singh, a political biography, New Age international, 1995. Ram Bahadur Rai: Manjil se jyada safar (in Hindi), 2005.
References
[1] In May 1985, Singh suddenly removed the import of Purified Terephthalic Acid (PTA) from the Open General License category. As a raw material this was very important to manufacture polyester filament yarn. This made it very difficult for Reliance Industries under Dhirubhai Ambani to carry on operations. Reliance was able to secure, from various financial institutions, letters of credit that would allow it to import almost one full years requirement of PTA on the eve of the issuance of the government notification changing the category under which PTA could be imported. [2] In India, economic gains and new perils (http:/ / www. nytimes. com/ 1987/ 03/ 02/ business/ in-india-economic-gains-and-new-perils. html?scp=182& sq="v p singh"& st=cse). New York Times. (2 March 1987). Retrieved on 14 September 2011. [3] Indian Government Lodges First Charges In Weapons Scandal (http:/ / www. nytimes. com/ 1990/ 01/ 23/ world/ indian-government-lodges-first-charges-in-weapons-scandal. html?scp=57& sq="v p singh"& st=cse). New York Times. (23 January 1990). Retrieved on 14 September 2011. [4] Turmoil and a Scandal Take a Toll on Gandhi (http:/ / www. nytimes. com/ 1987/ 08/ 24/ world/ turmoil-and-a-scandal-take-a-toll-on-gandhi. html?scp=199& sq="v p singh"& st=cse). New York Times. (24 August 1987). Retrieved on 14 September 2011. [5] Is the Raja Ready for War, or Losing His Steam? (http:/ / www. nytimes. com/ 1987/ 10/ 08/ world/ mathura-journal-is-the-raja-ready-for-war-or-losing-his-steam. html?scp=1& sq="STEVEN R. WEISMAN" mathura& st=cse). New York Times. (8 October 1987). Retrieved on 14 September 2011. [6] Gandhi foes face test of strength (http:/ / www. nytimes. com/ 1988/ 06/ 13/ world/ gandhi-foes-face-test-of-strength. html?scp=66& sq="v p singh"& st=cse). New York Times. (13 June 1988). Retrieved on 14 September 2011. [7] Gandhi Is Finding Out Fast How Much He Had to Lose (http:/ / www. nytimes. com/ 1988/ 07/ 03/ weekinreview/ the-world-gandhi-is-finding-out-fast-how-much-he-had-to-lose. html?scp=36& sq="v p singh"& st=cse). New York Times. (3 July 1988). Retrieved on 14 September 2011. [8] New Opposition Front in India Stages Lively Rally (http:/ / www. nytimes. com/ 1988/ 09/ 18/ world/ new-opposition-front-in-india-stages-lively-rally. html?scp=1& sq="v p singh" "jan morcha"& st=cse). New York Times. (18 September 1988). Retrieved on 14 September 2011. [9] Man in the News; V. P. Singh: Low-key Indian in high-anxiety job New York Times report (http:/ / query. nytimes. com/ gst/ fullpage. html?res=950DE2DA1E3EF930A35751C1A96F948260& sec=& spon=& pagewanted=print). New York Times (3 December 1989). Retrieved on 14 September 2011. [10] Indian opposition chooses a Premier (http:/ / www. nytimes. com/ 1989/ 12/ 02/ world/ indian-opposition-chooses-a-premier. html?scp=14& sq="v p singh"& st=cse). New York Times. (2 December 1989). Retrieved on 14 September 2011. [11] Kashmir Officials Under Attack For Yielding to Muslim Abductors (http:/ / www. nytimes. com/ 1989/ 12/ 15/ world/ kashmir-officials-under-attack-for-yielding-to-muslim-abductors. html?scp=181& sq="v p singh"& st=cse). New York Times. (15 December 1989). Retrieved on 14 September 2011.
V. P. Singh
[12] India's Premier Offers Concessions to Sikhs (http:/ / www. nytimes. com/ 1990/ 01/ 12/ world/ india-s-premier-offers-concessions-to-sikhs. html?scp=6& sq="v p singh"& st=cse). New York Times. (12 January 1990). Retrieved on 14 September 2011. [13] India, Stymied, Pulls Last Troops From Sri Lanka (http:/ / www. nytimes. com/ 1990/ 03/ 25/ world/ india-stymied-pulls-last-troops-from-sri-lanka. html?scp=147& sq="v p singh"& st=cse). New York Times. (25 March 1990). Retrieved on 14 September 2011. [14] India Asserts That Pakistan Is Preparing for Border War (http:/ / www. nytimes. com/ 1990/ 04/ 15/ world/ india-asserts-that-pakistan-is-preparing-for-border-war. html?n=Top/ Reference/ Times Topics/ Subjects/ I/ International Relations& scp=11& sq="v p singh"& st=cse). New York Times. (15 April 1990). Retrieved on 14 September 2011. [15] India and Pakistan Make the Most of Hard Feelings (http:/ / www. nytimes. com/ 1990/ 04/ 22/ weekinreview/ the-world-india-and-pakistan-make-the-most-of-hard-feelings. html?scp=136& sq="v p singh"& st=cse). New York Times. (22 April 1990). Retrieved on 14 September 2011. [16] Affirmative Action Has India's Students Astir (http:/ / www. nytimes. com/ 1990/ 08/ 22/ world/ affirmative-action-has-india-s-students-astir. html?scp=171& sq="v p singh"& st=cse). New York Times. (22 August 1990). Retrieved on 14 September 2011. [17] Premier of India in appeal on riots (http:/ / www. nytimes. com/ 1990/ 09/ 27/ world/ premier-of-india-in-appeal-on-riots. html?scp=19& sq="v p singh"& st=cse). New York Times. (27 September 1990). Retrieved on 14 September 2011. [18] Hindu fundamentalist threatens India's government over temple (http:/ / www. nytimes. com/ 1990/ 10/ 18/ world/ hindu-fundamentalist-threatens-india-s-government-over-temple. html?scp=47& sq="v p singh"& st=cse). New York Times. (18 October 1990). Retrieved on 14 September 2011. [19] India Sends Troops to Stop Hindu March (http:/ / www. nytimes. com/ 1990/ 10/ 26/ world/ india-sends-troops-to-stop-hindu-march. html?scp=146& sq="v p singh"& st=cse). New York Times. (26 October 1990). Retrieved on 14 September 2011. [20] India ready to bar Hindu move today New York Times report (http:/ / www. nytimes. com/ 1990/ 10/ 30/ world/ india-ready-to-bar-hindu-move-today. html). New York Times. (30 October 1990). Retrieved on 14 September 2011. [21] Toll in India clash at Mosque rises (http:/ / www. nytimes. com/ 1990/ 11/ 01/ world/ toll-in-india-clash-at-mosque-rises. html?scp=44& sq="v p singh"& st=cse). New York Times. (1 November 1990). Retrieved on 14 September 2011. [22] India's Prime Minister Loses His Parliamentary Majority in Temple Dispute (http:/ / www. nytimes. com/ 1990/ 10/ 24/ world/ india-s-prime-minister-loses-his-parliamentary-majority-in-temple-dispute. html?scp=60& sq="v p singh"& st=cse). New York Times. (24 October 1990). Retrieved on 14 September 2011. [23] India's cabinet falls as Premier loses confidence vote, by 142346, and quits New York Times report (http:/ / query. nytimes. com/ gst/ fullpage. html?res=9C0CE3DC1439F93BA35752C1A966958260& sec=travel& spon=& pagewanted=all). New York Times (8 November 1990). Retrieved on 14 September 2011. [24] A Test of Principles in India New York Times Editorial (http:/ / www. nytimes. com/ 1990/ 11/ 08/ opinion/ a-test-of-principles-in-india. html). New York Times. (8 November 1990). Retrieved on 14 September 2011. [25] A Question Unanswered: Where Is India Headed? (http:/ / www. nytimes. com/ 1990/ 11/ 11/ world/ a-question-unanswered-where-is-india-headed. html?scp=62& sq=). New York Times. (11 November 1990). Retrieved on 14 September 2011. [26] Dissidents Split Indian Prime Minister's Party (http:/ / www. nytimes. com/ 1990/ 11/ 06/ world/ dissidents-split-indian-prime-minister-s-party. html?scp=16& sq="v p singh"& st=cse). New York Times. (6 November 1990). Retrieved on 14 September 2011. [27] Rival of Singh Becomes India Premier (http:/ / www. nytimes. com/ 1990/ 11/ 10/ world/ rival-of-singh-becomes-india-premier. html?scp=17& sq="v p singh"& st=cse). New York Times. (10 November 1990). Retrieved on 14 September 2011. [28] For India, Will It Be Change, Secularism or a Right Wing? (http:/ / www. nytimes. com/ 1991/ 04/ 24/ world/ crossroads-for-india-special-report-for-india-will-it-be-change-secularism-right. html?scp=72& sq=). New York Times. (24 April 1991). Retrieved on 14 September 2011. [29] Ex-Darling of India Press Finds Himself Ignored New York Times report (http:/ / query. nytimes. com/ gst/ fullpage. html?res=9D0CE2DC1538F937A25756C0A967958260& sec=& spon=& pagewanted=print). New York Times (14 May 1991). Retrieved on 14 September 2011. [30] V. P. Singh, Raj Babbar launch new Jan Morcha (http:/ / www. hinduonnet. com/ thehindu/ thscrip/ print. pl?file=2006042402151300. htm& date=2006/ 04/ 24/ & prd=th& ) [31] V. P. Singh arrested on way to Reliance plant (http:/ / www. hinduonnet. com/ thehindu/ thscrip/ print. pl?file=2006070902680800. htm& date=2006/ 07/ 09/ & prd=th& ) [32] V. P. Singh, Bardhan held on U. P. border (http:/ / www. hinduonnet. com/ thehindu/ thscrip/ print. pl?file=2006081807171200. htm& date=2006/ 08/ 18/ & prd=th& ) [33] V. P. Singh, Raj Babbar spring a surprise at Dadri (http:/ / www. hinduonnet. com/ thehindu/ thscrip/ print. pl?file=2006081913030500. htm& date=2006/ 08/ 19/ & prd=th& ) [34] Jan Morcha plans `Nyaya Yatra' (http:/ / www. hinduonnet. com/ thehindu/ thscrip/ print. pl?file=2006082509781300. htm& date=2006/ 08/ 25/ & prd=th& ) [35] V. P. Singh passes away (http:/ / www. hinduonnet. com/ thehindu/ thscrip/ print. pl?file=2008112861110100. htm& date=2008/ 11/ 28/ & prd=th& )
73
V. P. Singh
[36] Pandya, Haresh. (29 November 2008) V. P. Singh, a leader of India who defended poor, dies at 77 New York Times report (http:/ / www. nytimes. com/ 2008/ 11/ 30/ world/ asia/ 30singh. html?pagewanted=print). New York Times.. Retrieved on 14 September 2011. [37] V. P. Singh cremated (http:/ / www. hinduonnet. com/ thehindu/ thscrip/ print. pl?file=2008113050040100. htm& date=2008/ 11/ 30/ & prd=th& ) [38] An irreparable loss: Mayawati (http:/ / www. hinduonnet. com/ thehindu/ thscrip/ print. pl?file=2008112854871400. htm& date=2008/ 11/ 28/ & prd=th& ) [39] Jan Morcha merges with LJP (http:/ / www. hinduonnet. com/ thehindu/ thscrip/ print. pl?file=2009030760711200. htm& date=2009/ 03/ 07/ & prd=th& ) [40] Corruption main poll issue: Mulayam (http:/ / www. hinduonnet. com/ thehindu/ thscrip/ print. pl?file=2009032860951200. htm& date=2009/ 03/ 28/ & prd=th& ) [41] National Jan Morcha plans farmers meet in Delhi (http:/ / www. hinduonnet. com/ thehindu/ thscrip/ print. pl?file=2009060550920900. htm& date=2009/ 06/ 05/ & prd=th& ) [42] Jan Morcha merges with Congress (http:/ / www. hindu. com/ thehindu/ holnus/ 004200907251822. htm). The Hindu. (25 July 2009). Retrieved on 14 September 2011. [43] The Raja, Up, Close and Personal (http:/ / www. indianexpress. com/ ie/ daily/ 20010121/ ien21030. html). Indian Express. (21 January 2001). Retrieved on 14 September 2011. [44] Suma Josson (http:/ / www. cinemaofmalayalam. net/ sumajosson. html). Cinemaofmalayalam.net. Retrieved on 14 September 2011. [45] http:/ / www. penguinbooksindia. com/ category/ Autobiography_Biography_Memoir/ Matters_of_Discretion_9789380480800. aspx
74
External links
Prime minister's office (http://pmindia.nic.in/pm_vpsingh.htm) Speech opposing the India-US nuclear deal Part I (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6fooRBoJTA) Part II (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXoGzdLb0fg), Oct. 2007.
Chandra Shekhar
75
Chandra Shekhar
Chandra Shekhar
8th Prime Minister of India In office 10 November 1990 21 June 1991 President Deputy Preceded by Succeeded by Ramaswamy Venkataraman Chaudhary Devi Lal Vishwanath Pratap Singh P. V. Narasimha Rao Minister of Defence In office 10 November 1990 21 June 1991 Preceded by Succeeded by Vishwanath Pratap Singh Sharad Pawar
Minister of Home Affairs In office 10 November 1990 21 June 1991 Preceded by Succeeded by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed Shankarrao Chavan Personal details Born 1 July 1927 Ibrahimpatti, British Raj 8 July 2007 (aged80) New Delhi, India
Died
Chandra Shekhar
76
Other political affiliations Congress Socialist Party (Before 1964) Indian National Congress (19641975) Independent (19751977) Janata Party (19771988) Janata Dal (19881990) Allahabad University Hinduism
Chandra Shekhar Singh (1 July 1927 - 8 July 2007) was the eighth Prime Minister of India.
Political life
He joined the socialist movement and was elected secretary of the district Praja Socialist Party (PSP), Ballia. Within a year, he was elected joint secretary of the PSPs State unit in Uttar Pradesh. In 1955-56, he took over as general secretary of the party in the State. His career as a parliamentarian began with his election to the Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh in 1962. He came under the spell of Acharya Narendra Dev, a fiery Socialist leader in the beginning of his political career. From 1962 to 1967, Shekhar belonged to the Rajya Sabha, the Upper house of the Parliament of India. He had a nationwide padayatra in 1983 to know the country better, which he claimed gave the jitters to Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister. He was called a "Young Turk".[2] Chandra Shekhar was a prominent leader of socialists. He joined Congress in 1964. From 1962 to 1967, he was a member of the Rajya Sabha. He first entered the Lok Sabha in 1967. As a member of the Congress Party, he vehemently criticized Indira Gandhi for her activities. This led to a split in the Congress in 1975. Chandrashekhar was arrested during the emergency and sent to prison. After the emergency, he became the President of Janata Party. In the parliamentary elections, Janata Party did very well and formed the coalition government headed by late Morarji Desai. In 1988, his party merged with other parties and formed the government under the leadership of V.P. Singh. Again his relationship with the coalition deteriorated and he formed another party, Janata Dal socialist faction. With the support of Congress (I) headed by Rajiv Gandhi, he replaced V.P. Singh as the Prime Minister of India in November 1990.
Chandra Shekhar Shekhar was known for abiding by the parliamentary conventions and was honoured with the inaugural Outstanding Parliamentarian Award in 1995.[3] Shekhar was a member of the Lok Sabha, India's lower house of Parliament. He led the Samajwadi Janata Party (Rashtriya), (Socialist People's Party (National)). Starting in 1977, he won elections to the Lok Sabha eight times from Ballia constituency in eastern Uttar Pradesh. The only election that he lost was in 1984 against Jagganath Chaudhary of Congress (I).
77
Death
Chandra Shekhar suffered from multiple myeloma, a form of cancer of the plasma cell. He had been hospitalised for over three months by the date of his death, aged 80, in New Delhi on 8 July 2007.[1] He was survived by two sons. One of them, Neeraj Shekhar contested and won the Ballia Lok Sabha which was vacated through his father's death.[5]
References
[1] "Former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar dies" (http:/ / www. hindu. com/ thehindu/ holnus/ 000200707081001. htm). The Hindu. 8 July 2007. . [2] "Chandrashekhar - A firebrand idealist" (http:/ / articles. timesofindia. indiatimes. com/ 2007-07-08/ india/ 27972032_1_chandrashekhar-turk-general-secretary). Times of India. Jul 8, 2007. . Retrieved 20 June 2012. [3] "A rebel's journey" (http:/ / www. frontlineonnet. com/ fl2414/ stories/ 20070727004412600. htm). The Frontline. . Retrieved 20 June 2012. [4] "Chandra Shekhar tenders resignation" (http:/ / news. google. com/ newspapers?nid=2199& dat=19910305& id=8DAyAAAAIBAJ& sjid=2uUFAAAAIBAJ& pg=4382,1259736). . Retrieved 20 June 2012. [5] "Neeraj Shekhar wins Ballia LS by-election" (http:/ / www. outlookindia. com/ pti_news. asp?id=531862). PTI. outlookindia.com. 2 January 2008. .
P. V. Narasimha Rao
78
P. V. Narasimha Rao
Pamulaparti Venkata Narasimha Rao
9th Prime Minister of India In office 21 June 1991 16 May 1996 President Ramaswamy Venkataraman Shankar Dayal Sharma Chandra Shekhar Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Preceded by Succeeded by
Minister of Defence In office 6 March 1993 16 May 1996 Preceded by Succeeded by Sharad Pawar Pramod Mahajan
In office 31 December 1984 25 September 1985 Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi Preceded by Succeeded by Rajiv Gandhi Shankarrao Chavan
Minister of External Affairs In office 31 March 1992 18 January 1993 Preceded by Succeeded by Madhavsinh Solanki Dinesh Singh
In office 25 June 1988 2 December 1989 Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi Preceded by Succeeded by Rajiv Gandhi Vishwanath Pratap Singh
In office 14 January 1980 19 July 1984 Prime Minister Indira Gandhi Preceded by Shyam Nandan Prasad Mishra
P. V. Narasimha Rao
79
Succeeded by Indira Gandhi
Minister of Home Affairs In office 12 March 1986 12 May 1986 Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi Preceded by Succeeded by Shankarrao Chavan Sardar Buta Singh
In office 19 July 1984 31 December 1984 Prime Minister Indira Gandhi Rajiv Gandhi Preceded by Succeeded by Prakash Chandra Sethi Shankarrao Chavan
Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh In office 30 September 1971 10 January 1973 Governor Preceded by Succeeded by Khandubhai Kasanji Desai Kasu Brahmananda Reddy Jalagam Vengala Rao Personal details Born 28 June 1921 Vangara, British India 23 December 2004 (aged83) New Delhi, Delhi, India Indian National Congress Osmania University Fergusson College Lawyer Activist Poet Hinduism
Died
Profession
Religion
Pamulaparti Venkata "Narasimha Rao" (28 June 1921 23 December 2004) was an Indian lawyer, politician, and activist who served as the ninth Prime Minister of India (19911996).[1] He led an important administration, overseeing a major economic transformation and several home incidents affecting national security of India.[2] Rao who held the Industries portfolio was personally responsible for the dismantling of the Licence Raj as this came under the purview of the Industries Ministry.[3] He is often referred to as the "Father of Indian Economic Reforms".[4] Rao accelerated the dismantling of the license raj, reversing the socialist policies under the government of Rajiv Gandhi. He employed Dr. Manmohan Singh as his Finance Minister to embark on historic economic transition. With Rao's mandate, Dr. Manmohan Singh launched India's globalization angle of the reforms that implemented the IMF policies to rescue the almost bankrupt nation from economic collapse.[3] Rao was also referred to as Chanakya for his ability to steer tough economic and political legislation through the parliament at a time when he headed a minority government.[5][6] Rao's term as Prime Minister was an eventful one in India's history. Besides marking a paradigm shift from the industrializing, mixed economic model of Jawaharlal Nehru to a market driven one, his years as Prime Minister also
P. V. Narasimha Rao saw the emergence of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a major right-wing party, as an alternative to the Indian National Congress which had been governing India for most of its post-independence history. Rao's term also saw the destruction of the Babri Mosque in Ayodhya which triggered one of the worst Hindu-Muslim riots in the country since its independence.[7] Rao died in 2004 of a heart attack in New Delhi. He was cremated in Hyderabad.[8]
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Early life
P.V. Narasimha Rao had "humble social origins".[5] He was born in 28 June 1921 at Laknepally village -Near Narsampet in Warangal District to a Niyogi Telugu Brahmin family. At the age of 3 years he was adopted and brought up to Vangara village in the present-day Karimnagar district of Andhra Pradesh (then part of Hyderabad Dominion, British India).[5][9] His father P. Ranga Rao and mother Rukminiamma hailed from agrarian families.[5] Narasimha Rao was popularly known as PV. He studied Bachelor's in the Arts college at the Osmania University and later on went to Fergusson College now under University of Pune where he completed a Master's degree in law[10] His mother tongue was Telugu and had an excellent command of Marathi. In addition to eight Indian languages (Telugu, Hindi, Urdu, Oriya, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Tamil), he spoke English, French, Arabic, Spanish, German, Greek, Latin and Persian.[11] Along with his distant cousin Pamulaparthi Sadasiva Rao, Ch. Raja Narendra and Devulapalli Damodar Rao, PV edited a Telugu weekly magazine called Kakatiya Patrika in the 1940s.[12] PV and Sadasiva Rao used to contribute articles under the pen-name Jaya-Vijaya.[12][13] Narasimha Rao has three sons and five daughters. His eldest son P.V. Rangarao was an education minister in Kotla Vijaya Bhaskar Reddy cabinet and MLA from Hanummakonda Assembly Constituency, in Warangal District for two terms. His second son P.V. Rajeshwar Rao was a Member of Parliament of the 11th Lok Sabha (15 May 1996 4 December 1997) from Secunderabad Constituency.[14][15]
Political career
Narasimha Rao was an active freedom fighter during the Indian Independence movement[9] and joined full time politics after independence as a member of the Indian National Congress. Narasimha Rao served brief stints in the Andhra Pradesh cabinet (19621971) and as Chief minister of the state of Andhra Pradesh (19711973).[10] His tenure as Chief minister of Andhra Pradesh is well remembered even today for his land reforms and strict implementation of land ceiling acts in Telangana region. President rule had to be imposed to counter the 'Jai Andhra' movement during his tenure. When the Indian National Congress split in 1969 Rao stayed on the side of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and remained loyal to her during the Emergency period (197577).[11] He rose to national prominence in 1972 for handling several diverse portfolios, most significantly Home, Defence and Foreign Affairs (19801984), in the cabinets of both Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.[10] In fact it is speculated that he was in the running for the post of India's President along with Zail Singh in 1982.[16] Rao very nearly retired from politics in 1991. It was the assassination of the Congress President Rajiv Gandhi that made him make a comeback.[17] As the Congress had won the largest number of seats in the 1991 elections, he got the opportunity to head the minority government as Prime Minister. He was the first person outside the Nehru-Gandhi family to serve as Prime Minister for five continuous years, the first to hail from southern India and also the first from the state of Andhra Pradesh.[2][18] Since Rao had not contested the general elections, he then participated in a by-election in Nandyal to join the parliament. Rao won from Nandyal with a victory margin of a record 5 lakh (500,000) votes and his win was recorded in the Guinness Book Of World Records.[19][20] His cabinet included Sharad Pawar, himself a strong contender for the Prime Minister's post, as defence minister. He also broke convention by appointing a non-political economist and future prime minister, Manmohan Singh as his finance minister.[21][22]
P. V. Narasimha Rao
81
Achievements
Economic reforms
Rao's major achievement is generally considered to be the liberalization of the Indian economy. The reforms were adopted to avert impending international default in 1991.[23] The reforms progressed furthest in the areas of opening up to foreign investment, reforming capital markets, deregulating domestic business, and reforming the trade regime. Rao's government's goals were reducing the fiscal deficit, Privatization of the public sector, and increasing investment in infrastructure. Trade reforms and changes in the regulation of foreign direct investment were introduced to open India to foreign trade while stabilizing external loans. Rao wanted I.G. Patel as his finance minister.[24] Patel was an official who helped prepare 14 budgets, an ex-governor of Reserve Bank of India and had headed The London School of Economics and Political Science.[24] But Patel declined. Rao then chose Manmohan Singh for the job. Manmohan Singh, an acclaimed economist, played a central role in implementing these reforms. Major reforms in India's capital markets led to an influx of foreign portfolio investment. The major economic policies adopted by Rao include: Abolishing in 1992 the Controller of Capital Issues which decided the prices and number of shares that firms could issue.[23][25] Introducing the SEBI Act of 1992 and the Security Laws (Amendment) which gave SEBI the legal authority to register and regulate all security market intermediaries.[23][26] Opening up in 1992 of India's equity markets to investment by foreign institutional investors and permitting Indian firms to raise capital on international markets by issuing Global Depository Receipts (GDRs).[27] Starting in 1994 of the National Stock Exchange as a computer-based trading system which served as an instrument to leverage reforms of India's other stock exchanges. The NSE emerged as India's largest exchange by 1996.[28] Reducing tariffs from an average of 85 percent to 25 percent, and rolling back quantitative controls. (The rupee was made convertible on trade account.)[29] Encouraging foreign direct investment by increasing the maximum limit on share of foreign capital in joint ventures from 40 to 51% with 100% foreign equity permitted in priority sectors.[30] Streamlining procedures for FDI approvals, and in at least 35 industries, automatically approving projects within the limits for foreign participation.[23][31] The impact of these reforms may be gauged from the fact that total foreign investment (including foreign direct investment, portfolio investment, and investment raised on international capital markets) in India grew from a minuscule US $132 million in 199192 to $5.3 billion in 199596.[30] Rao began industrial policy reforms with the manufacturing sector. He slashed industrial licensing, leaving only 18 industries subject to licensing. Industrial regulation was rationalized.[23]
P. V. Narasimha Rao Romanian diplomat posted in New Delhi in October 1991, who was kidnapped by Sikh terrorists.[38] Rao also handled the Indian response to the occupation of the Hazratbal holy shrine in Jammu and Kashmir by terrorists in October 1993.[39] He brought the occupation to an end without damage to the shrine. Similarly, he dealt with the kidnapping of some foreign tourists by a terrorist group called Al Faran in Kashmir in 1995 effectively. Although he could not secure the release of the hostages, his policies ensured that the terrorists demands were not conceded to, and that the action of the terrorists was condemned internationally, including by Pakistan.[40] Rao also made diplomatic overtures to Western Europe, the United States, and China.[41] He decided in 1992 to bring into the open India's relations with Israel, which had been kept covertly active for a few years during his tenure as a Foreign Minister, and permitted Israel to open an embassy in New Delhi.[42] He ordered the intelligence community in 1992 to start a systematic drive to draw the international community's attention to alleged Pakistan's sponsorship of terrorism against India and not to be discouraged by US efforts to undermine the exercise.[43][44] Rao launched the Look East foreign policy, which brought India closer to ASEAN.[45] He decided to maintain a distance from the Dalai Lama in order to avoid aggravating Beijing's suspicions and concerns, and made successful overtures to Tehran. The 'cultivate Iran' policy was pushed through vigorously by him.[46] These policies paid rich dividends for India in March 1994, when Benazir Bhutto's efforts to have a resolution passed by the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva on the human rights situation in Jammu and Kashmir failed, with opposition by China and Iran.[47] Rao's crisis management after the 12 March, 1993 Bombay bombings was highly praised. He personally visited Bombay after the blasts and after seeing evidence of Pakistani involvement in the blasts, ordered the intelligence community to invite the intelligence agencies of the US, UK and other West European countries to send their counter-terrorism experts to Bombay to examine the facts for themselves.[48]
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P. V. Narasimha Rao
83
Latur earthquake
A strong earthquake in Latur, Maharashtra, also killed 10,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands in 1993.[58] Rao was applauded by many for using modern technology and resources to organize major relief operations to assuage the stricken people, and for schemes of economic reconstruction.
Corruption scandals
In July 1993, Rao's government was facing a no-confidence motion, because the opposition felt that it did not have sufficient numbers to prove a majority. It was alleged that Rao, through a representative, offered millions of rupees to members of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), and possibly a breakaway faction of the Janata Dal, to vote for him during the confidence motion. Shailendra Mahato, one of those members who had accepted the bribe, turned approver. In 1996, after Rao's term in office had expired, investigations began in earnest in the case. In 2000, after years of legal proceedings, a special court convicted Rao and his colleague, Buta Singh (who is alleged to have escorted the MPs to the Prime Minister).[59] Rao appealed to a higher court and remained free on bail. The decision was overturned mainly due to the doubt in credibility of Mahato's statements (which were extremely inconsistent) and both Rao and Buta Singh were cleared of the charges in 2002.[60]
P. V. Narasimha Rao Rao, along with fellow minister K.K. Tewary, Chandraswami and K.N. Aggarwal were accused of forging documents showing that Ajeya Singh had opened a bank account in the First Trust Corporation Bank in St. Kitts and deposited $21 million in it, making his father V.P. Singh its beneficiary. The alleged intent was to tarnish V.P. Singh's image. This supposedly happened in 1989. However only after Rao's term as PM had expired in 1996, was he formally charged by the Central Bureau of Investigation for the crime. Less than a year later the court acquitted him due to lack of evidence linking him with the case.[61] Lakhubhai Pathak, an Indian businessman living in England alleged that Chandraswami and K.N. Aggarwal alias Mamaji, along with Mr. Rao, cheated him out of $100,000. The amount was given for an express promise for allowing supplies of paper pulp in India, and Pathak alleged that he spent an additional $30,000 entertaining Chandraswami and his secretary. Rao and Chandraswami were acquitted of the charges in 2003,[62]
84
Death
He was cremated with full state honours in Hyderabad, after the then Chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, Dr. Y.S.Rajashekhar Reddy intervened.[66] His body was kept in state at the Jubilee Hall in Hyderabad. His funeral was attended by the incumbent Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, former Prime Minister H. D. Deve Gowda, the then Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president L.K. Advani, the Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, the then Finance Minister P. Chidambaram and many other dignitaries.[67]
P. V. Narasimha Rao Several commentators argue that while Rao should be rightly blamed for his failure to protect the Babri Masjid, at the same time, he should be given credit for initiating the process of economic reforms in India. In an op-ed article published in Business Standard, A.K. Bhattacharya writes:[71] "Even today, the Congress leadership shows extreme reluctance to acknowledge the role PV Narasimha Rao played in appointing Manmohan Singh as his finance minister and giving him the freedom to unveil the economic reforms package to bail the Indian economy out of an unprecedented crisis. The Congress leadership was correct in blaming Narasimha Rao for his political misjudgment on the Ayodhya issue. But it is now time the same leadership also acknowledged Narasimha Raos role in ushering in economic reforms." In similar vein, Harsh V. Pant argues:[72] [73] "Clearly as Prime Minister Rao failed in his duty to protect the disputed structure in Ayodhya......Rao's failure cannot be an excuse to deprive him of all the credit that is his due as the nation's prime minister at one of the most difficult times in India's contemporary history......Manmohan Singh is touted as the father of Indian economic reforms but as Singh has himself acknowledged it was Rao was fathered the process......Rao deftly navigated the political waters......and made economic reforms politically tenable. How ironical then that today the same Congress party functionaries......trying to take credit for India's economic success without acknowledging the role of Rao who envisioned and executed the process?" Historian Ramachandra Guha asserts that Rao has become "the great unmentionable" in the Congress party. In an op-ed article in The Telegraph (Calcutta), Guha writes:[74] "Narasimha Rao may be denied the credit by the present Congress leadership for taking the Indian economy well above the Hindu rate of growth of two to three per cent per annum. But they do not let the public forget his greatest defeat, which was his failure to stop the demolition of the Babri Masjid in December, 1992......From the point of view of the present Congress leadership, Raos problem was not just that he was not a Nehru-Gandhi, it was also that as prime minister he did not genuflect enough to the Nehru-Gandhis......Now that the Nehru-Gandhis once more control both party and government, P.V. Narasimha Rao has become the great unmentionable within Congress circles. I should modify that statement Rao can be mentioned only if it is possible to disparage him. Thus his contributions to economic growth and to a more enlightened foreign policy are ignored, while his admittedly pusillanimous attitude towards the kar sevaks in Ayodhya is foregrounded......To forget his achievements, but to remember his mistakes, is a product of cold and deliberate calculation." Commenting on the report of the Liberhan Commission, which exonerated Rao for his role in the Babri Masjid demolition, Indian Express editor Shekhar Gupta writes:[75] "He surely failed as prime minister to prevent the tragedy at Ayodhya. But his rivals in the Congress did their own party such disservice by spreading the canard that his (and their) government was responsible for that crime. This, more than anything else, lost them the Muslim vote in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar......any dispassionate reading of recent political history will tell you that this is a self-inflicted injury. The Congress has itself built a mythology whereby the Muslims have come to hold their party as responsible for Babri as the BJP......If you take Justice Liberhans indictment of so many in the BJP seriously, you cannot at the same time dismiss his exoneration of Rao, and the government, and the Congress Party under him. You surely cannot put the clock back on so much injustice done to him, like not even allowing his body to be taken inside the AICC building. But the least you can do now is to give him a memorial spot too along the Yamuna as one of our more significant (and secular) prime ministers who led us creditably through five difficult years, crafted our post-Cold War diplomacy, launched economic reform and, most significantly, discovered the political talent and promise of a quiet economist called Manmohan Singh."
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References
[1] Prime Ministers of India (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20110511110825/ http:/ / pmindia. nic. in/ former. htm). Indian PM's official website. Retrieved on 2 March 2007. [2] Narasimha Rao a Reforming PM (http:/ / news. bbc. co. uk/ 2/ hi/ south_asia/ 4120429. stm). BBC News (2004-12-23). Retrieved on 2 March 2007. [3] Arvind Kumar, Arun Narendhranath (2001-10-03). India must embrace unfettered free enterprise (http:/ / www. dnaindia. com/ analysis/ column_india-must-embrace-unfettered-free-enterprise_1594401). Daily News and Analysis. [4] PV Narasimha Rao Remembered as Father of Indian Economic Reforms (http:/ / www. voanews. com/ tibetan/ archive/ 2004-12/ a-2004-12-23-2-1. cfm). VOA News (2004-12-23). [5] "Obituary: A scholar and a politician" (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20100130013320/ http:/ / www. hinduonnet. com/ fline/ fl2201/ stories/ 20050114008013000. htm). Frontline 22 (1). January 114, 2005. . Retrieved 30 March 2010. [6] PV Narasimha Rao Passes Away. Retrieved on October 7, 2007 (http:/ / www. tlca. com/ adults/ obit-pvn. html) [7] BBC On This Day, 1992: Mob rips apart mosque in Ayodhya (http:/ / news. bbc. co. uk/ onthisday/ hi/ dates/ stories/ december/ 6/ newsid_3712000/ 3712777. stm). BBC News. [8] Narasimha Rao cremated (http:/ / www. thehindubusinessline. com/ 2004/ 12/ 26/ stories/ 2004122601690300. htm). thehindubusinessline.com (2004-12-26) Retrieved on 18 April 2007. [9] A Profile of P.V. Narasimha Rao (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20100119155631/ http:/ / www. indianembassy. org/ PV/ pv. pdf). Embassy of India in Washington. Retrieved on 2 March 2007. [10] P. V. Narasimha Rao A Profile (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20090328162710/ http:/ / pmindia. nic. in/ pm_rao. htm). Indian PM's official website. [11] Narasimha Rao (http:/ / www. telegraph. co. uk/ news/ main. jhtml?xml=/ news/ 2004/ 12/ 24/ db2401. xml& sSheet=/ portal/ 2004/ 12/ 24/ ixportal. html). The Daily Telegraph (2004-12-24). Retrieved on 2 March 2007 [12] "Pamulaparthi Sadasiva Rao" (http:/ / kakatiyapatrika. com/ ?page_id=20& cpage=1). M. Rajagopalachary, Pamulaparthi Sadasiva Rao Memorial Endowment Lecture. kakatiyapatrika.com. . Retrieved 30 March 2010. [13] "With PV" (http:/ / kakatiyapatrika. com/ ?p=57). kakatiyapatrika.com. 2009-10-31. . Retrieved 30 March 2010. [14] "Biographical Sketch of P.V. Rajeshwar Rao" (http:/ / www. parliamentofindia. nic. in/ ls/ lok11/ biodata/ 11ap35. htm). Webpage of Parliament of India. . Retrieved 30 March 2010. [15] "Sri. P.V.Rajeswara Rao" (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20110721150223/ http:/ / www. mipgs. ac. in/ pvrajeswararao. htm). Webpage of Matrusri Institute of P.G. Studies. . Retrieved 30 March 2010. [16] The Lonely Masks of Narasimha Rao (http:/ / www. mjakbar. org/ blog/ archives/ 2004_12_01_mjakbarblog_archive. html). Retrieved on 24 August 2007. [17] John F. Burns (1995-05-21). Crisis in India: Leader Survives, for Now (http:/ / www. nytimes. com/ 1995/ 05/ 21/ world/ crisis-in-india-leader-survives-for-now. html). The New York Times. [18] Observations on Indian Independence Day (http:/ / www. boloji. com/ plainspeak/ 045. htm). Subash Kapila. Retrieved on 2 March 2007. [19] Rao's world record (http:/ / www. rediff. com/ news/ 1998/ feb/ andhra27. htm). rediff.com. Retrieved on 2 March 2007. [20] Indian Political Trivia (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20050206101148/ http:/ / www. geocities. com/ rezuj/ pt. html). Retrieved on 19 April 2007. [21] "Rao takes oath in India, names his cabinet" (http:/ / articles. latimes. com/ 1991-06-22/ news/ mn-916_1_prime-minister). Associated Press. Los Angeles Times. 1991-06-22. . Retrieved 30 March 2010. [22] "Profile: Manmohan Singh" (http:/ / news. bbc. co. uk/ 2/ hi/ south_asia/ 3725357. stm). BBC News, South Asia. 2009-03-30. . Retrieved 30 March 2010. [23] India's Pathway through Financial Crisis (http:/ / www. globaleconomicgovernance. org/ wp-content/ uploads/ ghosh-pathways_india. pdf). Arunabha Ghosh. Global Economic Governance Programme. Retrieved on 2 March 2007. [24] Time To Tune In To FM (http:/ / www. indiatoday. com/ itoday/ 20020225/ jairam. shtml). Indiatoday.com (2002-02-25). Retrieved on 2012-07-10. [25] Securities and Exchange Commission Act (http:/ / www. sai. uni-heidelberg. de/ workgroups/ bdlaw/ 1993-a15. htm). Retrieved on 2 March 2007. [26] Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992 (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20071012130135/ http:/ / vakilno1. com/ bareacts/ sebiact/ sebiact. htm). vakilno1.com. [27] India's Economic Policies (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20100107225608/ http:/ / iic. nic. in/ iic3_i. htm). Indian Investment Centre. Retrieved on 2 March 2007. [28] Ajay Shah and Susan Thomas. How NSE surpassed BSE (http:/ / www. mayin. org/ ajayshah/ PDFDOCS/ ShahThomas2000_jgfm. pdf). Retrieved on 2 March 2007. [29] J. Bradford DeLong (July 2001). The Indian Growth Miracle (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20080515135852/ http:/ / econ161. berkeley. edu/ Econ_Articles/ India/ India_Rodrik_DeLong. html). berkeley.edu. [30] Ajay Singh and Arjuna Ranawana. India. Conflict of Interest. Local industrialists issue a broadside against multinationals (http:/ / www. asiaweek. com/ asiaweek/ 96/ 0412/ nat1. html). Asiaweek. Retrieved on 2 March 2007.
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[31] FDI in India (http:/ / unpan1. un. org/ intradoc/ groups/ public/ documents/ APCITY/ UNPAN024036. pdf). Kulwindar Singh. Retrieved on 2 March 2007. [32] Narasimha Rao and the bomb (http:/ / acorn. nationalinterest. in/ ?p=1138). Retrieved on 2 March 2007. [33] Clinton stopped Rao from testing nukes (http:/ / sify. com/ news/ othernews/ fullstory. php?id=13381077). sify.com (2004-02-05). [34] The mole and the fox (http:/ / www. indianexpress. com/ news/ the-mole-and-the-fox/ 9501/ 0). Shekhar Gupta. Retrieved on 2 March 2007. [35] Punjab Assessment (http:/ / www. satp. org/ satporgtp/ countries/ india/ states/ punjab/ index. html). Retrieved on 2 March 2007. [36] National Security Guards (http:/ / www. bharat-rakshak. com/ MONITOR/ ISSUE5-5/ Kasturi. html). Retrieved on 2 March 2007. [37] 5 Years On: Scarred and scared (http:/ / in. rediff. com/ news/ 2006/ sep/ 11ram. htm). Retrieved on 20 April 2007. [38] Bishwanath Ghosh. Held to ransom (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20071104163648/ http:/ / newindpress. com/ sunday/ colItems. asp?ID=SEH20021212083721). newindpress.com. [39] Profile of Changing Situation (http:/ / www. jammu-kashmir. com/ basicfacts/ politics/ profile_1993_94. html). Retrieved on 2 March 2007. [40] Al Faran and the Hostage Crisis in Kashmir (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20080112111132/ http:/ / www. subcontinent. com/ sapra/ research/ terrorism/ tr_1996_03_001_s. html). subcontinent.com (1996-03-10). [41] Indo-US relations (http:/ / www. globalsecurity. org/ wmd/ library/ report/ crs/ ib93097. htm). GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved on 2 March 2007. [42] Strategic Partnership Between Israel and India (http:/ / meria. idc. ac. il/ journal/ 1998/ issue2/ jv2n2a6. html). P.R. Kumaraswamy. Retrieved on 2 March 2007. [43] Pakistan and Terrorism (http:/ / www. saag. org/ papers/ paper97. html). . [44] Never trust the US on Pakistan (http:/ / in. rediff. com/ news/ 2006/ jul/ 21raman. htm). rediff.com (2006-07-21). Retrieved on 2 March 2007. [45] Narasimha Rao and the `Look East' policy (http:/ / www. hinduonnet. com/ 2004/ 12/ 24/ stories/ 2004122407541200. htm). The Hindu (2004-12-24). Retrieved on 2 March 2007. [46] India and the Middle East (http:/ / www. photius. com/ countries/ india/ government/ india_government_middle_east. html). Retrieved on 2 March 2007. [47] Samuel P. Huntington. New World Order (http:/ / www. thirdworldtraveler. com/ New_World_Order/ Clash_Civilizations_SH. html). Retrieved on 2 March 2007. [48] Lessons from the Mumbai blasts (http:/ / www. rediff. com/ news/ 2003/ mar/ 14raman. htm). rediff.com (2003-03-14). Retrieved on 2 March 2007. [49] India's economic reforms (http:/ / findarticles. com/ p/ articles/ mi_qa3680/ is_199810/ ai_n8812118/ pg_6). . [50] John Greenwald; Anita Pratap and Dick Thompson (1995-09-18). No Passage to India (http:/ / www. time. com/ time/ magazine/ article/ 0,9171,983429,00. html). Time. Retrieved on 2 March 2007. [51] Quiet Goes The Don (http:/ / www. outlookindia. com/ article. aspx?226253). Outlookindia.com (2005-01-17). Retrieved on 2012-07-10. [52] Terrorism & Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (http:/ / www. satp. org/ satporgtp/ countries/ india/ document/ actandordinances/ TADA. HTM). Retrieved on 2 March 2007. [53] Meredith Weiss (2002-06-25). The Jammu & Kashmir Conflict (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20090304030654/ http:/ / www. yale. edu/ macmillan/ globalization/ kashmir. pdf). yale.edu. [54] Three killed in Kashmir clashes (http:/ / www. dailytimes. com. pk/ default. asp?page=story_31-8-2004_pg7_13). Daily Times. Retrieved on 2 March 2007. [55] Flashpoint Ayodhya (http:/ / www. archaeology. org/ 0407/ abstracts/ ayodhya. html). Retrieved on 2 March 2007. [56] Rao govt was reduced to position of helpless bystander (http:/ / www. indianexpress. com/ news/ rao-govt-was-reduced-to-position-of-helpless-bystander/ 545902/ 0). [57] Tearing down Narasimha Rao (http:/ / www. indianexpress. com/ news/ tearing-down-narasimha-rao/ 547260/ 0). Indianexpress.com (2009-11-28). Retrieved on 2012-07-10. [58] Latur EarthQuake of September 30, 1993 (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20050307110842/ http:/ / www. imd. ernet. in/ section/ seismo/ static/ latur. htm). imd.ernet.in. [59] Rao, Buta convicted in JMM bribery case (http:/ / www. tribuneindia. com/ 2000/ 20000930/ main1. htm). The Tribune (2000-09-29). Retrieved on 2 March 2007. [60] Ex-Indian PM cleared of bribery (http:/ / news. bbc. co. uk/ 2/ hi/ south_asia/ 1874500. stm). BBC News (2002-03-15). Retrieved on 2 March 2007. [61] St Kitts case: Chronology of events (http:/ / articles. timesofindia. indiatimes. com/ 2004-10-25/ india/ 27143956_1_chandraswami-first-trust-corporation-forgery-case). The Times of India (2004-10-25). Retrieved on 2 March 2007. [62] Nirnimesh Kumar (2003-12-23). Rao acquitted in Lakhubhai Pathak case (http:/ / www. hindu. com/ 2003/ 12/ 23/ stories/ 2003122308160100. htm). The Hindu. Retrieved on 2 March 2007. [63] Nindalapaalaina Aparachanukyudu-2 (http:/ / telugu. greatandhra. com/ cinema/ 11-04-2010/ 39a_04_nin. php). Telugu.greatandhra.com. Retrieved on 2012-07-10. [64] P V Krishna Rao (2010-01-04). PV made scapegoat in Babri case (http:/ / newindianexpress. com/ states/ andhra_pradesh/ article218025. ece). newindianexpress.com [65] Narasimha Rao passes away at the age of 83 (http:/ / www. hindu. com/ 2004/ 12/ 24/ stories/ 2004122408870100. htm). Hindu.com (2004-12-24). Retrieved on 2012-07-10.
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[66] Narasimha Rao's final humiliation (http:/ / www. rediff. com/ news/ 2004/ dec/ 28monu. htm). Rediff.com (2004-12-31). Retrieved on 2012-07-10. [67] Nation bids adieu to Narasimha Rao (http:/ / www. hindu. com/ 2004/ 12/ 26/ stories/ 2004122605320100. htm). The Hindu. Retrieved on 2 March 2007. [68] "Sonia omits Rao as she praises Congress PMs on anniversary" (http:/ / www. thaindian. com/ newsportal/ politics/ sonia-omits-rao-as-she-praises-congress-pms-on-anniversary-roundup_100295865. html). IANS News report 'Roundup'. Thaindian News. 2009-12-28. . Retrieved 30 March 2010. [69] "Sonia says Rajiv fired post-1991 reforms, makes no mention of Rao" (http:/ / www. indianexpress. com/ news/ sonia-says-rajiv-fired-post1991-reforms-ma/ 560923). Express News Service. Indian Express. 2009-12-29. . Retrieved 31 March 2010. [70] "Sonia ignores PV Narasimha Rao, says Rajiv scripted economic reforms" (http:/ / timesofindia. indiatimes. com/ india/ Sonia-ignores-PV-Narasimha-Rao-says-Rajiv-scripted-economic-reforms/ articleshow/ 5388626. cms). Press Trust of India (The Times of India). 2009-12-28. . Retrieved 30 March 2010. [71] "Rao's ghost may still haunt Congress" (http:/ / www. business-standard. com/ india/ news/ a-k-bhattacharya-raos-ghost-may-still-haunt-congress/ 09/ 06/ 379680/ ). A.K. Bhattacharya. Business Standard. 2009-12-16. . Retrieved 30 March 2010. [72] "Give Narasimha Rao his due" (http:/ / www. livemint. com/ 2009/ 12/ 15214229/ Give-Narasimha-Rao-his-due. html). Harsh V. Pant. livemint.com. 2009-12-15. . Retrieved 30 March 2010. [73] "Why the Congress cannot erase Narasimha Rao" (http:/ / news. rediff. com/ column/ 2009/ dec/ 30/ why-the-congress-cannot-erase-narasimha-rao. htm). Harsh V. Pant. rediff.com. 2009-12-30. . Retrieved 30 March 2010. [74] "The great unmentionable: The Congress wishes to overlook Narasimha Rao's achievements" (http:/ / www. telegraphindia. com/ 1100327/ jsp/ opinion/ story_12252417. jsp). Ramachandra Guha. The Telegraph (Calcutta), 27 March 2010. . Retrieved 29 March 2010. [75] "Tearing down Narasimha Rao" (http:/ / www. indianexpress. com/ news/ tearingdownnarasimharao/ 547260/ 1). Shekhar Gupta. Indian Express, 28 November 2009. . Retrieved 30 March 2010.
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External links
P. V. Narasimha Rao A Profile (http://pmindia.nic.in/pm_narasimha.html) Obituary Pamulaparthi Venkata Narasimha Rao (http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/SRR/Volume12/das. html) P. V. Narasimha Rao (http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=10183989) at Find a Grave
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10th Prime Minister of India In office 19 March 1998 19 May 2004 President Deputy Preceded by Succeeded by K. R. Narayanan& A P J Abdul Kalam L. K. Advani I. K. Gujral Manmohan Singh In office 16 May 1996 1 June 1996 President Preceded by Succeeded by Shankar Dayal Sharma P. V. Narasimha Rao H. D. Deve Gowda Minister of External Affairs In office 26 March 1977 28 July 1979 Prime Minister Morarji Desai Preceded by Succeeded by Yashwantrao Chavan Shyam Nandan Prasad Mishra Personal details Born 25 December 1924 Gwalior, British India Bharatiya Janata Party (1980present) Bharatiya Jana Sangh (Before 1980)
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Alma mater Victoria College (Now Laxmibai College), Gwalior DAV College, Kanpur Poet, Politician Hinduism
Atal Bihari Vajpayee (Hindi: , Birth: 25 December 1924 in Gwalior) is a veteran Indian statesman who served as a non congress Prime Minister of India three times, viz. 13 days in 1996,13 months in 12th Loksabha elections and lastly a five year's term from 19 March 1998 until 19 May 2004. A parliamentarian for over four decades, Vajpayee was elected to the Lok Sabha a record nine times, and twice to the Rajya Sabha.[1] He also served as the Member of Parliament for Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, until 2009, when he retired from active politics due to health concerns. Vajpayee was one amongst the founder members of erstwhile Jana Sangh and had been its president also. He was also the Minister of External Affairs in the cabinet of Morarji Desai. When Janata government collapsed Vajpayee merged his entire party into a fresh party and named it as Bharatiya Janata Party in the interest of nation. A poet-politician Vajpayee has been the liberal face of BJP.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee the Janata Party in the 1977 general elections, he became the Minister for External Affairs in the Janata government headed by Morarji Desai. That same year, he also became the first person to deliver a speech to the United Nations General Assembly in Hindi. By the time the Janata government crumbled in 1979, Vajpayee had established himself as an experienced statesman and a respected political leader.[7] The Janata Party was dissolved soon after Morarji Desai resigned as Prime Minister in 1979. The Bharatiya Jana Sangh had devoted its political organization to sustain the coalition, and was left exhausted by the internecine political wars within the Janata Party. Vajpayee joined many of his Bharatiya Jan Sangh and Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh colleagues, particularly his long-time friends Lal Krishna Advani and Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, to found the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 1980. He became the BJP's first President. He emerged as a strong critic of the Congress (I) government that followed the Janata government. While the BJP opposed the Sikh militancy that was rising in the state of Punjab, it also blamed Prime Minister Indira Gandhi for her divisive and corrupt politics that fostered such militancy at the expense of national unity and integrity.[8] The BJP did not support Operation Bluestar, and strongly protested against the violence towards Sikhs in Delhi that broke out in 1984 following the assassination of Indira Gandhi by two of her Sikh bodyguards. During this bloody period, more than 3,000 Sikhs were massacred. The BJP was left with only two parliamentary seats in the 1984 elections; however, the party had established itself in the mainstream of Indian politics, and soon began expanding its organization to attract young Indians throughout the country. During this period, Vajpayee remained at the center-stage as party President and Leader of the Opposition in the Parliament. The BJP became the political voice of the Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir Movement, which was led by activists of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the RSS, and which sought to build a temple dedicated to Lord Rama at the site of the Babri mosque in Ayodhya. Hindus believed that the site was the birthplace of Rama, and thus qualified as one of the most sacred sites of Hinduism. Victory in the assembly elections in Gujarat and Maharashtra in March 1995, and a good performance in the elections to the Karnataka assembly in December 1994, propelled the BJP to greater political prominence. During a BJP conference in Mumbai in November 1995, BJP President L.K. Advani declared that Vajpayee would become the Prime Minister of India if the BJP won in the May 1996 parliamentary elections.[9]
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Atal Bihari Vajpayee single vote. As the Opposition was unable to come up with the numbers to form the new government, the country returned to election mode with Vajpayee remaining the "care-taker Prime Minister". Nuclear tests In May 1998, India conducted five underground nuclear tests in Pokhran, Rajasthan. The five tests shocked and surprised the world, especially considering that the government had been in power for only a month. Two weeks later, Pakistan responded with its own nuclear tests, making it the newest declared nation with nuclear weapons. While some nations, such as Russia and France, endorsed India's right to defensive nuclear power,[12] others including the United States, Canada, Japan, Britain and the European Union imposed sanctions on information, resources and technology to India. In spite of the intense international criticism and the steady decline in foreign investment and trade, the nuclear tests were popular domestically and Vajpayee's popularity as well as the BJP's prestige rose in response. The Lahore summit In late 1998 and early 1999, Vajpayee began a push for a full-scale diplomatic peace process with Pakistan. With the historic inauguration of the Delhi-Lahore bus service in February 1999, Vajpayee initiated a new peace process aimed towards permanently resolving the Kashmir dispute and other conflicts with Pakistan. The resultant Lahore Declaration espoused a commitment to dialogue, expanded trade relations and mutual friendship and envisaged a goal of denuclearized South Asia. This eased the tension created by the 1998 nuclear tests, not only within the two nations, but also in South Asia and the rest of the world. The Vajpayee led government was faced with two crises in mid 1999. The AIADMK had continually threatened to withdraw from the coalition and national leaders repeatedly flew down from Delhi to Chennai to pacify the AIADMK chief J. Jayalalitha. However, in May 1999, the AIADMK did pull the plug on the NDA, and the Vajpayee administration was reduced to a caretaker status pending fresh elections scheduled for October 1999. Kargil War In a stunning development soon after, it was revealed that militants and non-uniformed Pakistani soldiers (many with official identifications and Pakistan Army's custom weaponry) had infiltrated into the Kashmir Valley and captured control of border hilltops, unmanned border posts and were spreading out fast. The incursion was centered around the town of Kargil, but also included the Batalik and Akhnoor sectors and include artillery exchanges at the Siachen Glacier. Indian army units were swiftly rushed into Kashmir in response. Operation Vijay (1999), launched in June 1999, saw the Indian military fighting thousands of militants and soldiers amidst heavy artillery shelling and while facing extremely cold weather, snow and treacherous terrain at the high altitude. Over 500 Indian soldiers were killed in the three-month long Kargil War, and it is estimated around 600-4,000 Pakistani militants and soldiers died as well. India pushed back the Pakistani militants and Northern Light Infantry soldiers. Almost 70% of the territory was recaptured by India. With news of Pakistan planning to launch a nuclear attack in the face of a loss in the war with India, Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was summoned to the US by Bill Clinton and warned against any such mis-adventure.[12] After heavy losses and a recalcitrant general in Musharraf, and with both the United States and China refusing to condone the incursion or threaten India to stop its military operations, Nawaz Sharif asked the remaining militants to stop and withdraw to positions along the LoC. The militants were not willing to accept orders from Sharif while the NLI soldiers withdrew.[12] The militants were killed by the army or forced to withdraw in skirmishes which went beyond the announcement of withdrawal by Pakistan. The victory in Kargil bolstered the image of Vajpayee and he was hailed across the country for his bold and strong leadership. It also, gave a tremendous boost to the morale of the Indian public and bolstered National pride.
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In March 2000, Bill Clinton, the President of the United States, paid a state visit to India. His was the first state visit to India by a US President in the past 22 years. President Clinton's visit to India was hailed as a significant milestone in the relations between the two countries. Since the visit followed barely two years after the Pokhran tests, and one year after the Kargil invasion and the subsequent coup in Pakistan, it was read to reflect a major shift in the post-Cold War U.S. foreign policy. The Indian Prime Minister and the U.S. President discussed strategic issues, but the major achievement was a significant expansion in trade and economic ties. The Historic Vision Document on the future course of relations between the two countries was signed by Prime Minister Vajpayee and President Clinton during the visit. Domestically, the BJP-led government was under constant pressure from its ideological mentor, the RSS, and the hard-line VHP to enact the Hindutva agenda. But owing to its dependence on coalition support, it was impossible for the BJP to push items like building the Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir in Ayodhya, repealing Article 370 which gave a special status to the state of Kashmir, or enacting a uniform civil code applicable to adherents of all religions. The BJP was however accused of saffronising (Saffron is the color of the flag of the RSS, symbol of the Hindu nationalism movement) the official state education curriculum and apparatus. Also, Home Minister L.K. Advani and HRD minister Murli Manohar Joshi were indicted in the 1992 Babri Mosque demolition case for inciting a mob of activists. The RSS also routinely criticized the government for free-market policies which introduced foreign goods and competition at the expense of 'swadeshi' industries and products. Vajpayee's administration earned the ire of many trade unions and government workers for its aggressive campaign to privatize government owned corporations. Vajpayee promoted pro-business, free market reforms to reinvigorate India's economic transformation and expansion that were started by the former PM Narasimha Rao but stalled after 1996 due to unstable governments and the 1997 Asian financial crisis. Increased competitiveness, extra funding and support for the information technology sector and high-tech industries, improvements in infrastructure, deregulation of trade, investments and corporate laws - all increased foreign capital investment and set in motion an economic
Atal Bihari Vajpayee expansion. These couple of years of reform however were accompanied by infighting in the administration and confusion regarding the direction of government.Vajpayee's weakening health was also a subject of public interest, and he underwent a major knee-replacement surgery at the Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai to relieve great pressure on his legs. In March 2001, the Tehelka group released incriminating videos of the BJP President Bangaru Laxman, senior army officers and NDA Atal Bihari Vajpayee with Russia's president members accepting bribes from journalists posing as agents and Vladimir Putin. businessmen. The Defence Minister George Fernandes was forced to resign following the Barak Missile Deal Scandal, another scandal involving the botched supplies of coffins for the soldiers killed in Kargil, and the finding of an inquiry commission that the Government could have prevented the Kargil invasion. These developments as well as an ambiguous response of the economy to the reforms, reduced the Vajpayee administration's popularity and undermined its future. Vajpayee again broke the ice in the Indo-Pak relations by inviting Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf to Delhi and Agra for a joint summit and peace talks. His second major attempt to move beyond the stalemate involved inviting the man who had planned the Kargil invasions. But accepting him as the President of Pakistan, Vajpayee chose to move forward. But after three days of much fanfare, which included Musharraf visiting his birthplace in Delhi, the summit failed to achieve a breakthrough as President Musharraf declined to leave aside the issue of Kashmir. In 2001, the Vajpayee government launched the famous Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, which aimed at improving the quality of education in primary and secondary schools. 2001 attack on Parliament On 13 December 2001, a group of masked, armed men with fake IDs stormed the Parliament building in Delhi. The terrorists managed to kill several security guards, but the building was sealed off swiftly and security forces cornered and killed the men, who were later proven to be Pakistan nationals. Coming just three months after the September 11 attacks upon the United States, this fresh escalation instantly enraged the nation. Although the Government of Pakistan officially condemned the attack, Indian intelligence reports pointed to a conspiracy rooted in Pakistan. Prime Minister Vajpayee ordered a mobilization of India's military forces, and as many as 500,000 servicemen amassed along the international boundary bordering Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Kashmir. Pakistan responded with the same. Vicious terrorist attacks and an aggressive anti-terrorist campaign froze day-to-day life in Kashmir, and foreigners flocked out of both India and Pakistan, fearing a possible war and nuclear exchange. For as long as two years, both nations remained perilously close to a terrible war. The Vajpayee administration also passed the Prevention of Terrorist Act against vigorous opposition of non-NDA parties. Human rights groups have condemned the act which gives wide authority to the government to crack down and hold anybody. Its repeal was advocated by human rights organisations.[17] But the biggest political disaster hit his government between December 2001 and March 2002: the VHP held the Government hostage in a major standoff in Ayodhya over the Ram Mandir. At the 10th anniversary of the destruction of the Babri mosque, the VHP wanted to perform a shila daan, or a ceremony laying the foundation stone of the cherished temple at the disputed site. Tens of thousands of VHP activists amassed and threatened to overrun the site and forcibly build the temple. A grave threat of not only communal violence, but an outright breakdown of law and order owing to the defiance of the government by a religious organization hung over the nation.[7] But to the relief of Vajpayee, this crisis tided over rather smoothly.
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Atal Bihari Vajpayee Remainder of term In late 2002 and 2003 the government pushed economic reforms, and the country's GDP growth accelerated at record levels, exceeding 67%. Increasing foreign investment, modernization of public and industrial infrastructure, the creation of jobs, a rising high-tech and IT industry and urban modernization and expansion improved the nation's inter-national image. Good crop harvests and strong industrial expansion also helped the economy. The Government reformed the tax system, increased the pace of reforms and pro-business initiatives, major irrigation and housing schemes and so on. The political energies of the BJP shifted to the rising urban middle-class and young people, who were positive and enthusiastic about the major economic expansion and future of the country. He faced stiff opposition from other equally strong originations within Sangh Parivar such as Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, Bharatiya Kisan Sangh. However, he continued with his aggressive economic reform policy. In August 2003, He announced before Parliament his "absolute last" effort to achieve peace with Pakistan. Although the diplomatic process never truly set-off immediately, visits were exchanged by high-level officials and the military stand-off ended. The Pakistani President and Pakistani politicians, civil and religious leaders hailed this initiative as did the leaders of America, Europe and much of the world. In July 2003, Prime Minister Vajpayee, visited China, and met with various Chinese leaders. He recognized Tibet, as a part of China, which was welcomed by the Chinese leadership, who in the following year, recognized Sikkim, as a part of India. Sino-Indian Relations, improved greatly, in the followsing years. In NovemberDecember 2003, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won three major state elections, fought mainly on development issues, without ideological campaigns. A major public relations campaign was launched to reach out to Muslims and stop the 2002 communal riots controversy from haunting the party's future. But the attention of the media and of millions now moved from Vajpayee to his more possible successor, L.K. Advani, although the question was never directly raised or contested in any way. Vajpayee's age, failing health and diminished physical and mental vigor were obvious factors in such speculations. Advani assumed greater responsibilities in the party, and although no perceivable conflict has been known to arise between the longtime friends and political colleagues, several embarrassing statements were made. Once Vajpayee said "Advani would lead the BJP in the elections," prompting Advani to clarify that he would merely lead the election campaign, not the party. And then the BJP President Venkaiah Naidu used mythological references to depict Vajpayee as Vikas Purush (Man of Progress) and Advani as Loh Purush(Man of Steel). As the BJP prepared for general elections in 2004, Vajpayee was still the choice of the BJP and of the wider NDA, for the Prime Minister's job.
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Later career
In December 2005, Vajpayee announced his retirement from active politics, declaring that he would not contest in the next general election. In a famous statement at the BJP's silver Jubilee rally at Mumbai's historic Shivaji Park, Vajpayee announced that "Henceforth, Lal Krishna Advani and Pramod Mahajan will be the Ram-Laxman (the two godly brothers much revered and worshipped by Hindus) of the BJP."[19] Vajpayee was referred to as the Bhishma Pitamah of Indian Politics by Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh during his speech in the Rajya Sabha.[20] Vajpayee was hospitalized at AIIMS for chest infection and fever on 6th February 2009. He was put on ventilator support as his condition worsened but he eventually recuperated and was later, discharged.[21] Unable to participate in the campaign for the 2009 general election due to his poor health, he wrote a letter urging voters to back the BJP. His protege Lalji Tandon was able to retain the Lucknow seat even though the NDA suffered electoral reverses allover the country. The tall apolitical image of Vajpayee was said to be the main reason behind Lalji's success in Lucknow even though BJP's performance was poor elsewhere in Uttar Pradesh.[22]
Awards
1992, Padma Vibhushan[24] 1993, D.Lit from Kanpur University[25] 1994, Lokmanya Tilak Award[25] 1994, Best Parliamentarian Award 1994, Bharat Ratna Pandit Govind Vallabh Pant Award[24]
Works
Social and political
Nayi chunauti, naya avasara (Hindi Edition). (2002). ISBN 978-81-7016-501-8 India's Perspectives on ASEAN and the Asia-Pacific Region. (2003). ISBN 978-981-230-172-7. NEW DIMENSIONS OF INDIA'S FOREIGN POLICY. (1979). Decisive days. (1999). When will atrocities on Harijans stop?: A.B. Vajpayee's speech in Rajya Sabha. (1988). Heal the wounds: Vajpayee's appeal on Assam tragedy to the parliament. (1983). National integration. (1961). Sakti se santi. (1999). Rajaniti ki rapatili rahem. (1997). Vicara-bindu (Hindi Edition). (2000). ISBN 978-81-7016-475-3. Bindu-bindu vicara. (1997). Kucha lekha, kucha bhashana. (1996). Back to square one. (1998).
Dynamics of an open society. (1977). Na dainyam na palayanam (Hindi Edition). (1998). Bindu-bindu vicara (Hindi Edition). (1997).
Atal Bihari Vajpayee Kucha lekha, kucha bhashana (Hindi Edition). (1996). Sekyularavada: Bharatiya parikalpana (Da. Rajendra Prasada Smaraka vyakhyanamala). (1996).
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Autobiography
Atal Bihari Vajpayee, meri samsadiya yatra (Hindi Edition). (1999). ISBN 978-81-7315-281-8. Four decades in parliament. (1996). Atala Bihari Vajpayee, samsada mem tina dasaka. (1992). Pradhanamantri Atala Bihari Vajapeyi, chune hue bhashana. (2000). Values, vision & verses of Vajpayee: India's man of destiny. (2001). India's foreign policy: New dimensions. (1977). Assam problem: Repression no solution. (1981). Suvasita pushpa: Atala Bihari Vajapeyi ke sreshtatama bhashana. (1997).
Poetry
Twenty-One Poems. (2003). ISBN 978-0-670-04917-2. Kya khoya kya paya: Atala Vihari Vajapeyi, vyaktitva aura kavitaem (Hindi Edition). (1999). ISBN 978-81-7028-335-5. Meri ikyavana kavitaem. (1995). Meri ikyavana kavitaem (Hindi Edition). (1995). Sreshtha kabita. (1997). Nayi Disha - an album with Jagjit Singh (1999) Samvedna - an album with Jagjit Singh (2002)
Speeches
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, selected speeches. (2000). ISBN 978-81-230-0834-9. President's addresses, 1980-1986. (2000). Presidential address. (1986). Presidential address: Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha session, Bhagalpur (Bihar), 5 6 & 7 May 1972. (1972). Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Pokhran Test.
References
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] (http:/ / pmindia. nic. in/ former. htm) Kanpur. Atal Bihari Vajpayee Biography (http:/ / www. indianpoliticians. com/ profile/ 20/ ) "Bateshwar, 1942" (http:/ / www. frontlineonnet. com/ fl1503/ 15031220. htm). Frontlineonnet.com. . Retrieved 2012-06-25. The Hindu (Chennai, India). http:/ / www. hindu. com/ fline/ fl1503/ 15031150. htm. The Hindu (Chennai, India). http:/ / www. hindu. com/ fline/ fl1503/ 15031160. htm. "India Matters" (http:/ / www. indiamatters. in/ atal. htm). Indiamatters.in. . Retrieved 2012-06-25. (http:/ / www. indianembassy. org/ special/ cabinet/ vajpayee. htm) (http:/ / www. deccanherald. com/ deccanherald/ apr162004/ d10. asp) "Will the rath yatra bring LK Advani back in RSS good books? - Analysis - DNA" (http:/ / www. dnaindia. com/ analysis/ column_will-the-rath-yatra-bring-lk-advani-back-in-rss-good-books_1597360). Dnaindia.com. 2011-10-11. . Retrieved 2012-06-25. [10] "Atal Bihari Vajpayee: India's new prime minister" (http:/ / news. bbc. co. uk/ 2/ hi/ special_report/ 1998/ india_elections/ 61761. stm). BBC News Online. 3 March 1998. . Retrieved 1998-03-03. [11] "South Asia Vajpayee's thirteen months" (http:/ / news. bbc. co. uk/ 2/ hi/ south_asia/ 322065. stm). BBC News Online. 17 April 1999. . Retrieved 1999-04-17. [12] Atal Bihari Vajpay (prime minister of India) (http:/ / www. britannica. com/ EBchecked/ topic/ 621705/ Atal-Bihari-Vajpayee) Britannica Online Encyclopedia [13] Address to the Nation by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee (http:/ / www. indianembassy. org/ inews/ Nov_99/ inews_11_99. pdf)PDF [14] Indian Embassy: Identity of the hijackers. (http:/ / www. indianembassy. org/ archive/ IC_814. htm#Identity of hijackers) [15] http:/ / www. mea. gov. in/
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In India's Spotlight, He Was Both Director and Audience - NYTimes (http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/22/ world/in-india-s-spotlight-he-was-both-director-and-audience.html?ref=atal_bihari_vajpayee)
Further reading
L.K. Advani. My Country My Life. (2008). ISBN 978-81-291-1363-4. M.P. Kamal. Bateshwar to Prime Minister House - An Interesting Description of Different Aspects of Atalji's . (2003). ISBN 978-81-7604-600-8. G.N.S. Raghavan. New Era in the Indian Polity, A Study of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the BJP. (1996). ISBN 978-81-212-0539-9. P. R Trivedi. Atal Bihari Vajpayee: The man India needs : the most appropriate leader for the twentyfirst century. (2000). ISBN 978-81-7696-001-4. Sujata K. Dass. Atal Bihari Vajpayee. (2004). ISBN 978-81-7835-277-0. Chandrika Prasad Sharma. Poet politician Atal Bihari Vajpayee: A biography. (1998). ASIN: B0006FD11E. Sheila Vazirani. Atal Bihari Vajpayee; profile & personal views (Know thy leaders). (1967). ASIN: B0006FFBV2. Dr. C.P. Thakur. India Under Atal Behari Vajpayee: The BJP Era.(1999). ISBN 978-81-7476-250-4 Sita Ram Sharma. Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee: Commitment to power. (1998). ISBN 978-81-85809-24-3. Bhagwat S. Goyal Values, Vision & Verses of Vajpayee: India's Man of Destiny 2001 Srijan Prakashan R-6/233 Rajnagar Ghaziabad 201002 ISBN 81-87996-00-5. Darshan Singh. Atal Behari Vajpayee: The arch of India. (2001). ISBN 978-81-86405-25-3. Yogesh Atal. Mandate for political transition: Reemergence of Vaypayee. (2000). ASIN: B0006FEIHA. Sujata K. Das. Atal Bihari Vajpayee. (2004). ISBN 978-81-7835-277-0.
External links
Profile (http://pib.nic.in/profile/bajpayee.html) Govt. of India Profile (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/463000.stm) at BBC News Annotated Bibliography for Atal Bihari Vajpayee from the Alsos Digital Library for Nuclear Issues (http://alsos. wlu.edu/qsearch.aspx?browse=people/Vajpayee,+Atal+Behari) Atal Bihari Vajpayee (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/v/atal_bihari_vajpayee/) collected news and commentary at The New York Times Atal Bihari Vajpayee (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Atal-Bihari-Vajpayee) collected news and commentary at The Times of India
Atal Bihari Vajpayee Complete List of Poems by Atala Bihari Bajpai (http://www.hindisahitya.org/category/ --/) (http://atalji.webs.com) BJP website (http://bjp.org/leader/atalji.htm) A. B. Vajpayee (http://www.bjpindia.in/index.php/about-bjp/leadership/37-leaders/ 64-sh-atal-bihari-vajpayee.html) at BJP leaders, India Atalji's life journey poems and songs collection (http://atalji.webs.com) Read few poems of Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Hindi Script (http://geeta-kavita.com/article. asp?article=list_poems#atal) Atal Bihari Vajpayee (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1528651/) at the Internet Movie Database Works by or about Atal Bihari Vajpayee (http://worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n88-602104) in libraries (WorldCat catalog) Works by Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Open Library at the Internet Archive Atal Bihari Vajpayee (http://www.nndb.com/people/448/000044316) at the Notable Names Database
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H. D. Deve Gowda
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H. D. Deve Gowda
Haradanahalli Doddegowda Deve Gowda
[[file:
Haradanahalli Doddegowda Deve Gowda alt= 11th Prime Minister of India In office 1 June 1996 21 April 1997 President Preceded by Succeeded by Shankar Dayal Sharma Atal Bihari Vajpayee Inder Kumar Gujral Minister of Home Affairs In office 1 June 1996 29 June 1996 Preceded by Succeeded by Murli Manohar Joshi Indrajit Gupta Chief Minister of Karnataka In office 11 December 1994 31 May 1996 Governor Preceded by Succeeded by Khurshed Alam Khan Veerappa Moily Jayadevappa Halappa Patel Personal details Born 18 May 1933 Haradanahalli, Mysore kingdom (now India) Indian
Nationality
H. D. Deve Gowda
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Political party Janata Dal (Secular) Other political affiliations Spouse(s) Children Indian National Congress (Before 1962) Independent (19621977) Janata Party (19771988) Chennamma Deve Gowda 4 sons(H.D. Balakrishne Gowda H.D. Revanna H.D.Kumaraswamy Dr. H.D. Ramesh) [1] 2 daughters Hindu
Religion Signature
Website
hddevegowda.in
[2]
Haradanahalli Doddegowda Deve Gowda (Kannada: , born 18 May 1933)[5][6] was the 11th Prime Minister of India (19961997) and the 14th Chief minister of the state of Karnataka (19941996). He is an influential leader of the Vokkaliga community and is popularly known as "Mannina maga" (Son of the soil) for espousing the cause of the farmers. He is the National President of the Janata Dal (Secular) party[7].
Political career
Deve Gowda joined the Indian National Congress party in 1953 and remained its member until 1962.[11] During that period, He was the President of Anjaneya Cooperative Society of Holenarasipura and later became a Member of the Taluk Development Board, Holenarasipura taluk, Hassan. In 1962, Deve Gowda was elected to the Karnataka Legislative Assembly from Holenarasipura constituency as an independent candidate. Later, He was elected from the same constituency to the Karnataka Legislative Assembly for six consecutive terms from 1962 to 1989. He joined the Congress(O) during the Congress split and served as the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly from March 1972 to March 1976 and again fron November 1976 to December 1977.[12] During the Emergency (197577), he was imprisoned in the Bangalore Central Jail. Deve Gowda was twice the President of state unit of the Janata Party. He served as a minister in the Janata Party Government in Karnataka headed by Shri Ramakrishna Hegde from 1983 to 1988. He became President of the state unit of Janata Dal in 1994 and was the driving force behind the victory of the party in the 1994 State Assembly elections. He was elected from the Ramanagara constituency sworn in as the 19th Chief Minister of Karnataka in
H. D. Deve Gowda December 1994. In January 1995, Deve Gowda toured Switzerland and attended the Forum of International Economists. His tour to Singapore, which brought in much needed foreign investment to the State, proved his business acumen.[11] In the 1996 general elections, the Congress party headed by P.V. Narasimha Rao lost decisively but no other party won enough seats to form a government. When the United Front (a conglomeration of non-Congress and non-BJP regional parties) decided to form the Government at the Centre with the support of the Congress, Deve gowda was unexpectedly chosen to head the government and became the 11th Prime Minister of India.[10] He took over as Prime Minister of India on 1 June 1996 and continued until 11 April 1997. Also, He was the Chairman of the Steering Committee of the United Front, the policy making apex body of all the constituents of the ruling front.[10]
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Positions held
1962-89 : Member, Karnataka Legislative Assembly (seven terms) 1972-76 : Leader of Opposition, Karnataka Legislative Assembly 1983-88 : Minister for Public Works and Irrigation, Government of Karnataka 1991 : Elected to 10th Lok Sabha 1991-94 : Member, Committee on Commerce Member, Joint Parliamentary Committee on Fertilizers Member, Consultative Committee, Ministry of Agriculture 1994 : President, Janata Dal, Karnataka. 1994-96 : Chief Minister of Karnataka Jun. 1996 - Apr. 1997 : Prime Minister of India and also in charge of Ministries/Departments of Petroleum and Chemicals, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Atomic Energy, Home Affairs, Agriculture, Food Processing Industries, Urban Affairs and Employment and Non-Conventional Energy Sources 1996-98 : Member, Rajya Sabha Nov. 1996-Apr. 1997 : Leader of the House, Rajya Sabha 1998 : Re-elected to 12th Lok Sabha (2nd term). National President, Janata Dal (Secular) 2002 : Re-elected to 13th Lok Sabha in a by-election (3rd term) 2004 : Re-elected to 14th Lok Sabha( 4th term) 2006-2008 : Member, Committee on Railways 2009 : Re-elected to 15th Lok Sabha (5th term). 31 Aug. 2009 : Member, Committee on Defence Source: Lok Sabha Website[8]
H. D. Deve Gowda many factions. Many secular leaders including the Late Madhu Dandawate joined the Janata Dal (Secular) faction headed by Deve Gowda who became the National president of the this faction. He was defeated in the 1999 general elections but staged a comeback by winning the Kanakapura By-elections in 2002. The 2004 elections in Karnataka witnessed the revival of his partys fortunes with the Janata Dal (Secular) winning 58 seats and becoming a part of the ruling coalition in the state. Later, the party joined hands with the BJP and formed an alternate government in 2006. His son H. D. Kumaraswamy headed the popular BJP-JDS coalition government in the state for 20 months[13][14]. In the 2008 state elections, the party performed poorly and won just 28 seats but has remained a significant force in the South Karnataka region.
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References
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] http:/ / www. janata. in/ index. php?option=com_content& view=article& id=55& Itemid=62& limitstart=1 http:/ / hddevegowda. in http:/ / india. gov. in/ govt/ loksabhampbiodata. php?mpcode=3960 http:/ / pmindia. nic. in/ pm_gowda. html http:/ / pmindia. nic. in/ pm_gowda. html "Profile on website of Prime Minister's Office" (http:/ / pmindia. nic. in/ pm_gowda. htm). . http:/ / www. janata. in/ index. php?option=com_content& view=article& id=55& Itemid=62
[8] http:/ / india. gov. in/ govt/ loksabhampbiodata. php?mpcode=3960 [9] "Asiaweek article" (http:/ / www. asiaweek. com/ asiaweek/ 96/ 0607/ nat4. html). . Retrieved 2007-09-30. [10] http:/ / www. janata. in/ index. php?option=com_content& view=article& id=55& Itemid=62 [11] Prime Minister's Office (http:/ / pmindia. nic. in/ pm_gowda. htm) [12] http:/ / www. janatadalsecular. org. in/ ourleaders_devegowda. htm [13] http:/ / www. janata. in/ index. php?option=com_content& view=article& id=53:janata-dal-secular& catid=36:jds& Itemid=60 [14] http:/ / www. janatadalsecular. org. in/ history. htm
External links
Prime Ministers of India (Official site) (http://pmindia.nic.in/pmsofindia.php#/The) (http://pmindia.nic.in/pm_gowda.html) (http://india.gov.in/govt/loksabhampbiodata.php?mpcode=3960/) (http://www.janata.in/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=55&Itemid=62) Official Website (http://hddevegowda.in/)
I. K. Gujral
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I. K. Gujral
Inder Kumar Gujral
12th Prime Minister of India In office 21 April 1997 19 March 1998 President Shankar Dayal Sharma Kocheril Raman Narayanan Haradanahalli Doddegowda Deve Gowda Atal Bihari Vajpayee Minister of Finance In office 21 April 1997 19 March 1998 Preceded by Succeeded by Palaniappan Chidambaram Yashwant Sinha Minister of External Affairs In office 1 June 1996 19 March 1998 Prime Minister Haradanahalli Doddegowda Deve Gowda Preceded by Succeeded by Sikander Bakht Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Preceded by Succeeded by
In office 5 December 1989 10 November 1990 Prime Minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh Preceded by Succeeded by Vishwanath Pratap Singh Vidya Charan Shukla Personal details
I. K. Gujral
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Born 4 December 1919 Jhelum, Punjab, British India (now in Punjab, Pakistan) Janata Dal (1988present) Indian National Congress (Before 1988)
Political party Other political affiliations Spouse(s) Alma mater Religion Signature
Inder Kumar Gujral (born 4 December 1919) served as the 12th Prime Minister of India. Gujral was the second PM to govern exclusively from the Rajya Sabha, first being his predecessor H.D. Deve Gowda.
Early life
He participated in India's freedom struggle, and was jailed in 1942 during the 'Quit India Movement'.[1]
In Janata Dal
Gujral left the Congress Party in the mid-1980s and joined the Janata Dal. The Dal was a third-party with mainly socialist leanings and regional bases. In the 1989 elections, Gujral was elected from the Jalandhar parliamentary constituency in Punjab. He served as Minister of External Affairs in the V. P. Singh cabinet. In 1989 V. P. Singh sent him to Srinagar to seal the deal with the kidnappers in the case of the 1989 kidnapping of Rubaiya Sayeed. The largest issue he had to deal with in this cabinet role was Iraq's invasion of Kuwait and the subsequent events that led to the first Gulf War of January 1991. As India's representative, he personally met with Iraq's Saddam Hussein. His hug with Hussein during the meeting remains a matter of controversy. In the 1991 mid-term parliamentary elections, Gujral contested from Patna constituency in Bihar against Samajwadi Janata Party (Rashtriya) candidate and then-Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha. However, the election was countermanded following complaints of large-scale irregularities. In 1992, Gujral was elected to Rajya Sabha and remained a key Janata Dal leader. After 1996 elections, when the United Front government was formed at the center under the leadership of H. D. Deve Gowda, he was again named Minister of External Affairs. During this second tenure, he propounded his 'Gujral Doctrine', which called for better relations with neighbours. Before becoming the Prime Minister of India in April 1997, he served the country as Union Minister or Minister of State holding different portfolios in the Ministries of Communications and Parliamentary Affairs, Information & Broadcasting, Works & Housing, Planning and Ministry of External Affairs.
I. K. Gujral
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Prime minister
The Congress party was supporting the United Front government from outside, but decided to withdraw support, which led to the collapse of the government in April 1997. In order to avoid elections, a compromise was reached. The Congress party agreed to support another United Front government under new leader, provided its concernssuch as not being consulted before taking important decisions and being marginalizedwere addressed. The United Front elected Gujral as new leader and he was sworn in as Prime Minister on 21 April 1997. Gujral inherited the bitterness between the Congress Party and the United Front from his predecessor, H.D. Deve Gowda. However he maintained good relations with the Congress Party, which supported his government from outside. Within a few weeks in office, Gujral faced trouble, not from the Congress party but within his own Janata Dal. The Central Bureau of Investigation asked for the permission from the governor of Bihar A. R. Kidwai to prosecute the state chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav in a corruption case related to the purchase of fodder for the cattle (see Fodder Scam). The state governor granted the permission for the prosecution of the chief minister and demand for the resignation of Yadav was raised both from within and out of the United Front. However, Yadav sternly rejected the demand. Prime Minister Gujral just exhorted Yadav to step down without actually taking any action against his government. When Gujral transferred the CBI director Joginder Singh, who was investigating the case against Yadav, many people considered this as an attempt on the part of Prime Minister to protect Yadav. When Yadav felt that he no longer enjoyed a commanding position in Janata Dal, he left the party and formed his own 'Rashtriya Janata Dal' (RJD) on 3 July 1997. Out of 45 Janata Dal members of parliament, 17 left the party and supported Yadav. However, the new party continued in the United Front and Gujral's government was saved from immediate danger. Prime Minister Gujral continued in the office for over 11 months, including 3 months as caretaker Prime Minister. During this time, he attempted to improve relations with Pakistan. One of the most controversial decisions of his government was recommendation of President's rule in Uttar Pradesh, following unruly scenes in the state assembly on 21 October 1997. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government headed by Kalyan Singh sought vote of confidence when the violence and unruly scenes took place in the assembly. However President K.R. Narayanan refused to sign the recommendation and sent it back to the government for reconsideration. The Allahabad high Court also gave a decision against President's rule in Uttar Pradesh. In early November 1997, parts of interim report of Jain Commission inquiring into the conspiracy aspects of the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case were leaked to the press. Reportedly, the Jain Commission had indicted the political party, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), for tacitly supporting the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which was responsible for Rajiv Gandhi's assassination. The DMK was part of the ruling coalition at the center and the Union Cabinet had ministers belonging to the DMK. The Congress Party first demanded the tabling of the report on the floor of the parliament. The report was tabled on 19 November 1997. When it was confirmed that the Jain Commission had in fact held the DMK responsible for supporting the LTTE, the Congress party demanded that the ministers belonging to the DMK be dropped. There was exchange of letters between Congress President Sitaram Kesri and Prime Minister Gujral. However, Gujral refused to budge. In a public function in Calcutta on 23 November 1997, he gave a hint of what was to follow saying 'mid-term elections are around the corner'. The Congress Party finally withdrew support from his government on 28 November 1997. Gujral resigned following this withdrawal.[2] As no alternative government could be formed, the only alternative was mid-term elections, as Gujral had foreseen. The elections were held in FebruaryMarch 1998. Gujral contested again from Jalandhar constituency in Punjab with the support of Akali Dal. The Akali Dal, though a part of BJP-led coalition, opted to support Gujral because during his Prime Ministerial tenure, Gujral declared that the central government will share the expenses on stamping out terrorism in Punjab during 1980s and early 1990s, along with the state government of Punjab. That eased the strain on economy of Punjab and its ruling class to a great extent and the Akali Dal decided to support Gujral. Gujral defeated Umrao Singh of the Congress Party by over 131,000 votes.
I. K. Gujral In the 12th Lok Sabha, Gujral actively opposed the BJP-led coalition government. In a debate in Lok Sabha on 29 May 1998, he pointed out some of the drawbacks of the government in handling of the nuclear tests conducted at Pokhran. He also opposed the government's decision to impose President's rule in Bihar. However Gujral actively supported Prime Minister Vajpayee's visit to Lahore in February 1999 and signing of Lahore Declaration with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. On 19 April 1999, when the BJP-led government sought vote of confidence on the floor of the Lok Sabha after the withdrawal of support by All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Gujral opposed the government.
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Gujral Doctrine
The Gujral Doctrine is a set of five principles to guide the conduct of foreign relations with Indias immediate neighbours as spelt out by Gujral, first as Indias External Affairs Minister and later as the Prime Minister. Among other factors, these five principles arise from the belief that Indias stature and strength cannot be divorced from the quality of its relations with its neighbours. It, thus, recognises the supreme importance of friendly, cordial relations with neighbours. These principles are: 1. With neighbours like Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka, India does not ask for reciprocity, but gives and accommodates what it can in good faith and trust. 2. No South Asian country should allow its territory to be used against the interest of another country of the region. 3. No country should interfere in the internal affairs of another. 4. All South Asian countries must respect each others territorial integrity and sovereignty. 5. They should settle all their disputes through peaceful bilateral negotiations. According to Gujral, these five principles, scrupulously adhered to, would achieve a fundamental recasting of South Asias regional relationships, including the difficult relationship between India and Pakistan. Further, the implementation of these principles would generate a climate of close and mutually benign cooperation in the region, where the weight and size of India is regarded positively and as an asset by these countries. This has been severely criticized in the light of Mumbai terror attacks and signifies the final futility of his doctrine belief in the 'inherent goodwill' of openly hostile neighbours. This is his defining legacy. The following is quoted from India Today's Website Dec 11, 2008, in the aftermath of 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks on India. "Lashkar recruitment may have dipped in recent years, as may have its ability to attract motivated cadre. Kasab says he joined the LeT out of economic need rather than religious fervour. But with the flow of recruits still on, India may have to go after the source in Pakistan. Short of potentially escalatory military options like air and ground strikes against the camps, India has very limited options against the terror outfit. Experts like Ajai Sahni of the Centre for Conflict Studies call for secret action against the LeT camps and leadership inside Pakistan. Short of covert capabilities and targeted covert options, nothing else will work against them, says Sahni. A capability that I.K. Gujral dismantled as prime minister over a decade ago will take over a year to rebuild.[3] Faced with mounting international pressure, Pakistan recently moved against the LeT, arresting Lakhvi but refusing to hand him over to India. These, however, are measures that the Indian intelligence fraternity term window dressing designed to buy the Pakistan military and ISI, time and manoeuvering space. The LeT will be the unintentional beneficiary of both."
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Aftermath
Gujral did not contest the 1999 elections and retired from active politics. In 2004, his son Naresh Gujral unsuccessfully contested with an Shiromani Akali Dal seat from Jalandhar, Punjab constituency in the Indian General Elections. He is currently a member of the Club of Madrid,[4] an independent non-profit organization composed of 81 democratic former Presidents and Prime Ministers from 57 different countries.
Personal life
Gujral speaks fluent Urdu, and spends part of his leisure time writing Urdu couplets. His wife, Sheila Gujral, died on 11 July 2011. She was a prominent poet and author of several books in Punjabi, Hindi and English languages.[5] His brother Satish Gujral is a prominent painter and architect. Gujral has two sons, Naresh and Vishal Gujral. His elder son, Naresh, is a Member of the Rajya Sabha.[5] He has two granddaughters, Deeksha and Diva Gujral, and a grandson, Anichya Gujral. He also has many grandnephews grandneices like Neeraj Shah and Neha Shah. His niece, Medha, is married to Bhajan Samrat Anup Jalota.
Autobiography
I. K. Gujral: Matters of Discretion: An Autobiography, Hay House, India, 519 pages, Feb. 2011. ISBN 978-93-8048-080-0. Distributors: Penguin books, India [45]. (The only autobiography by an Indian PM)
References
[1] McGirk, Jan (22 April 1997). "Indian intrigue on hold as PM is sworn in" (http:/ / www. independent. co. uk/ news/ world/ indian-intrigue-on-hold-as-pm-is-sworn-in-1268624. html). London: The Independent. . Retrieved 25 January 2010. [2] Burns, John F (29 November 1997). "PREMIER OF INDIA QUITS, DEEPENING POLITICAL BEDLAM" (http:/ / www. nytimes. com/ 1997/ 11/ 29/ world/ premier-of-india-quits-deepening-political-bedlam. html?pagewanted=all). New York Times. . Retrieved 25 January 2010. [3] http:/ / indiatoday. intoday. in/ story/ Indias%20Al%20Qaeda/ 3/ 22426. html [4] The Club of Madrid (http:/ / www. clubmadrid. org) is an independent non-profit organization composed of 81 democratic former Presidents and Prime Ministers from 57 different countries. It constitutes the worlds largest forum of former Heads of State and Government, who have come together to respond to a growing demand for support among leaders in democratic leadership, governance, crisis and post-crisis situations. All lines of work share the common goal of building functional and inclusive societies, where the leadership experience of the members is most valuable. [5] "Sheila Gujral no more" (http:/ / www. indianexpress. com/ news/ sheila-gujral-no-more/ 816038/ ). The Indian Express. 2011-07-11. . Retrieved 2012-03-05.
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Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh
Prime Minister of India Incumbent Assumed office 22 May 2004 President Abdul Kalam Pratibha Patil Pranab Mukherjee (Elect) Atal Bihari Vajpayee Minister of Finance Incumbent Assumed office 26 June 2012 Preceded by Pranab Mukherjee
Preceded by
In office 30 November 2008 24 January 2009 Preceded by Succeeded by P. Chidambaram Pranab Mukherjee In office 21 June 1991 16 May 1996 Prime Minister Narasimha Rao Preceded by Succeeded by Yashwant Sinha Jaswant Singh Minister of Railways In office 19 May 2011 13 July 2011 Preceded by Mamata Banerjee
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Succeeded by Dinesh Trivedi Minister of External Affairs In office 6 November 2005 24 October 2006 Preceded by Succeeded by Kunwar Natwar Singh Pranab Mukherjee
Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission In office 15 January 1985 31 August 1987 Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi Preceded by Succeeded by Narasimha Rao Punjala Shiv Shankar Governor of the Reserve Bank In office 15 September 1982 15 January 1985 Preceded by Succeeded by Indraprasad Gordhanbhai Patel Amitav Ghosh Personal details Born 26 September 1932 Gah, British India [1] (now India) Indian National Congress United Front (19962004) United Progressive Alliance (2004present) Gursharan Kaur (1958present) Upinder Daman Amrit Panchavati Panjab University, Chandigarh St John's College, Cambridge Nuffield College, Oxford Sikhism
Religion Signature
Website
[1]
Manmohan Singh ([mnmon s], Hindustani pronunciation:[mnmon s]( listen); born 26 September 1932) is the 13th and current Prime Minister of India. He is the only Prime Minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to return to power after completing a full five-year term.[2] A Sikh, he is the first non-Hindu to occupy the office. Singh is also the 7th Prime Minister from the Indian National Congress (Congress) party. He is a four-time Member of Parliament from the Upper House of the Parliament of India, the Rajya Sabha, representing the state of Assam.[3] His term in the 14th Rajya Sabha was from 22 May 2004 to 26 February 2009. In the 15th Rajya Sabha his term started 22 May
Manmohan Singh 2009 and is scheduled to continue till 2014. On 27 May 2012, he became the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Myanmar in 25 years.[4] Born in Gah, Punjab in British India (now Pakistan) in 1932, he migrated to India with his family at the time of Partition in 1947. Singh studied at Panjab University, University of Cambridge and University of Oxford.[5] Thereafter, while Singh was working at United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Lalit Narayan Mishra, the then Indian Minister for Foreign Trade, appointed Singh as an advisor to his ministry. He was appointed Governor of the Reserve Bank of India between 1982 and 1985,[5] Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission of India from 1985 to 1987 [5] and Secretary General of the South Commission from 1987 to 1990.[6] Elected to the Rajya Sabha in 1991, he was inducted into Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao's cabinet as Finance Minister the same year, a post he held until 1996. His tenure as Finance Minister is best remembered for the economic reforms he carried out, which ended the Licence Raj system and helped open the Indian economy.[7] When the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) came to power after the 2004 general elections, Singh became Prime Minister when Congress President Sonia Gandhi unexpectedly declined the position.[8] In 2009, the UPA and Singh were reelected for a second consecutive five year term. Key legislation passed during his tenure include the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and the Right to Information Act, 2005. Major initiatives include the National Rural Health Mission of India and the Unique Identification Authority of India.
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Early career
After completing his Ph.D., Singh worked for the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) from 19661969. During the 1970s, he taught at the University of Delhi and worked for the Ministry of Foreign Trade with the former Cabinet Minister for Foreign Trade, Lalit Narayan Mishra. As the Minister of Foreign Trade, Lalit Narayan Mishra was one of the first to recognize Singh's talent as an economist and appointed him his advisor at the Ministry of Foreign Trade. Singh and Mishra first met, coincidentally, on a flight from India to Chile. Mishra was on his way to Santiago, Chile to attend an UNCTAD meeting.[13] In 1982, he was appointed the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India and held the post until 1985.[5] He went on to become the deputy chairman of the Planning Commission of India from 1985 to 1987.[5] Following his tenure at the Planning Commission, he was Secretary General of the South Commission, an independent economic policy think tank headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland from 1987 to 1990.[6]
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Prime ministership
14th Lok Sabha
After the 2004 general elections, the Indian National Congress ended the incumbent National Democratic Alliance (NDA) tenure by becoming the political party with the single largest number of seats in the Lok Sabha. It formed United Progressive Alliance (UPA) with allies and staked claim to form government. In a surprise move, Chairperson Sonia Gandhi declared Manmohan Singh, a technocrat, as the UPA candidate for the Prime Ministership. Despite the fact that Singh had never won a Lok Sabha seat, he "has enjoyed massive popular support, not least because he was seen by many as a clean politician untouched by the taint of corruption that has run through many Indian administrations."[23] He took the oath as the Prime Minister of India on 22 May 2004.[24][25]
[21] A renowned economist, Singh is also regarded as one of the "greatest statesmen in [22] Asian history". Shown here with Indian delegation at the 33rd G8 summit in Heiligendamm.
Manmohan Singh Economic policy Following the advice of International Monetary Fund in 1991, Singh as Finance Minister, freed India from the Licence Raj, source of slow economic growth and corruption in the Indian economy for decades. He liberalized the Indian economy, allowing it to speed up development dramatically. During his term as Prime Minister, Singh continued to encourage growth in the Indian market, enjoying widespread success in these matters. Singh, along with the former Finance Minister, P. Chidambaram, have presided over a period where the Indian economy has grown with an 89% economic growth rate. In 2007, India achieved its highest GDP growth rate of 9% and became the second fastest growing major economy in the world.[26][27] Singh is now a strong supporter of globalization, seeing India's immense labor capacity as a path to delivering Indian goods in a worldwide market and eventually relieving large-scale poverty.[28] Singh's government has continued the Golden Quadrilateral and the highway modernisation program that was initiated by Vajpayee's government. Singh has also been working on reforming the banking and financial sectors, as well as public sector companies. The Finance ministry has been working towards relieving farmers of their debt and has been working towards pro-industry policies. In 2005, Singh's government introduced the value added tax, replacing sales tax. In 2007 and early 2008, the global problem of inflation impacted India.[29] Healthcare and education In 2005, Prime Minister Singh and his government's health ministry started the National Rural Health Mission, which has mobilised half a million community health workers. This rural health initiative was praised by the American economist Jeffrey Sachs.[30] In 2006, his Government implemented the proposal to reserve 27% of seats in All India Institute of Medical Studies (AIIMS), Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and other central institutions of higher education for Other Backward Classes which led to 2006 Indian anti-reservation protests. Singh has announced that eight more Indian Institutes of Technology will be opened in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Orissa, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh. The Singh government has also continued the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan programme, begun by his predecessor, Mr. Vajpayee. The programme has included the introduction and improvement of mid-day meals and the opening of schools all over India, especially in rural areas, to fight illiteracy. Security and Home Affairs His government has been instrumental in strengthening anti-terror laws with amendments to Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), where most of provisions of POTA were reincorporated,critics however cite that the amendments make the act equally draconian. National Investigation Agency (India) (NIA) was also created soon after the Nov 2008 Mumbai terror attacks as need for a central agency to combat terrorism was realised. Also Unique Identification Authority of India was established in February 2009, an agency responsible for implementing the envisioned Multipurpose National Identity Card with the objective of increasing national security and facilitating e-governance. His government has been criticized by some human rights organizations,that these measures could help establish a police state. His government has also been criticized for not being able to reduce the Naxal terrorism that is menacing rural areas in Eastern and Central India. Singh's government has, however, extended the ban on the radical Islamic terror group Student's Islamic Movement of India (SIMI). Singh's administration initiated a massive reconstruction effort in Kashmir to stabilise the region but after some period of success, insurgent infiltration and terrorism in Kashmir has increased since 2009.[31] However, the Singh administration has been successful in reducing terrorism in Northeast India.[31]
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Manmohan Singh Legislation The important National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) and the Right to Information Act were passed by the Parliament in 2005 during his tenure. While the effectiveness of the NREGA has been successful at various degrees, in various regions, the RTI act has proved crucial in India's fight against corruption.[32] Foreign policy Manmohan Singh has continued the pragmatic foreign policy that was started by P.V. Narasimha Rao and continued by Bharatiya Janata Party's Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Singh has continued the peace process with Pakistan initiated by his predecessor, Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Exchange of high-level visits by top leaders from both countries have highlighted his tenure. Efforts have been made during Singh's tenure to end the border dispute with People's Republic of China. In November 2006, Chinese President Hu Jintao visited India which was followed by Singh's visit to Beijing in January 2008. A major development in Sino-Indian relations was the reopening of the Nathula Pass in 2006 after being closed for more than four decades. As of 2010, the People's Republic of China is the second biggest
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Manmohan Singh with American President Barack Obama at the White House. Singh is known to be a pro US leader and has contributed substantially in cementing the ties between the two countries.
trade partner of India.[33] Relations with Afghanistan have also improved considerably, with India now becoming the largest regional donor to Afghanistan.[34] During Afghan President Hamid Karzai's visit to New Delhi in August 2008, Manmohan Singh increased the aid package to Afghanistan for the development of more schools, health clinics, infrastructure, and defence.[35] Under the leadership of Singh, India has emerged as one of the single largest aid donors to Afghanistan.[35] Singh's government has worked towards stronger ties with the United States. He visited the United States in July 2005 initiating negotiations over the Indo-US civilian nuclear agreement. This was followed by George W. Bush's successful visit to India in March 2006, during which the declaration over the nuclear agreement was made, giving India access to American nuclear fuel and technology while India will have to allow IAEA inspection of its civil nuclear reactors. After more than two years for more negotiations, followed by approval from the IAEA, Nuclear Suppliers Group and the US Congress, India and the U.S. signed the agreement on 10 October 2008 with Pranab Mukherjee representing India.[36] Singh had the first official state visit to the White House during the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama. The visit took place in November 2009, and several discussions took place, including on trade and nuclear power.
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Relations have improved with Japan and European Union countries, like the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. Relations with Iran have continued and negotiations over the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline have taken place. New Delhi hosted an IndiaAfrica Summit in April 2006 which was attended by the leaders of 15 African states.[37] Relations have improved with other developing countries, particularly Brazil and South Africa. Singh carried forward the momentum which was established after the "Brasilia Declaration" in 2003 and the IBSA Dialogue Forum was formed.[38]
Manmohan Singh's government has also been especially keen on expanding ties with Israel. Since 2003, the two countries have made significant investments in each other[39] and Israel now rivals Russia to become India's defence partner.[40] Though there have been a few diplomatic glitches between India and Russia, especially over the delay and price hike of several Russian weapons to be delivered to India,[41] relations between the two remain strong with India and Russia signing various agreements to increase defence, nuclear energy and space cooperation.[42]
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seen here with Dmitry Medvedev, Hu Jintao, Dilma Rousseff and Jacob Zuma at the 3rd 2011 BRICS Summit in Sanya, China.
Public image
Singh has always been perceived as a man of clean background. He is seen as a man of few words. The Independent described him as "one of the world's most revered leaders" and "a man of uncommon decency and grace," noting that he drives a Maruti 800, one of the humblest cars in the Indian market. Khushwant Singh lauded Singh as the best prime minister India has had, even rating him higher than Jawaharlal Nehru. He mentions an incident in his book Absolute Khushwant: The Low-Down on Life, Death and Most things In-between where after losing the 1999 Lok Sabha elections, Singh immediately returned the 2 lakh (US$3600) he had borrowed from the writer for hiring taxis. Terming him as the best example of integrity, Khushwant Singh stated, "When people talk of integrity, I say the best example is the man who occupies the country's highest office." [48] In 2010, Newsweek magazine recognized him as a world leader who is respected by other heads of state, describing him as "the leader other leaders love." The article quoted Mohamed ElBaradei, who remarked that Singh is "the model of what a political leader should be."[49] Singh is number 18 on the 2010 Forbes list of the world's most
Manmohan Singh powerful people.[50] Forbes magazine described Singh as being "universally praised as India's best prime minister since Nehru".[51] Singh's public image has been tarnished recently with his government having been accused of corruption scandals since the start of its second term in 2009.[52] Time magazine's Asia edition for 10-17 July 2012 week, on its cover remarked that Singh was an "underachiever"[53]. The issue of the magazine claimed Singh appears "unwilling to stick his neck out" on reforms that will put the country back on growth path. Congress spokesperson Manish Tiwari rebutted the charges. UPA ally Lalu Prasad Yadav took issue with the magazine's statements. Praising the government, Prasad said UPA projects [were] doing well and asked, "What will America say as their own economy is shattered?".[54] The Independant, a british daily also remarked that Singh did not have genuine political power, was not able even to control his cabinet and failed to act against a coalition minister accused of fraud which led him of being accused of weakness.[55] Political opponents including L.K Advani have claimed that Singh is a "weak" Prime Minister. Advani declared "He is weak. What do I call a person who can't take his decisions until 10 Janpath gives instruction."[56][57][58] Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, J.Jayalalitha also alleged that the Government headed by Manmohan Singh suffers from "policy paralysis" and even livelihood issues are not being addressed to, by it.[59]
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Manmohan Singh Chief Economic Advisor, Ministry of Finance, India, (19721976) Honorary Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi (1976) Director, Reserve Bank of India (19761980) Director, Industrial Development Bank of India (19761980) Secretary, Ministry of Finance (Department of Economic Affairs), Government of India, (19771980) Governor, Reserve Bank of India (19821985) Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission of India, (19851987) Secretary General, South Commission, Geneva (19871990) Advisor to Prime Minister of India on Economic Affairs (19901991) Chairman, University Grants Commission (15 March 1991 20 June 1991)[5] Finance Minister of India, (21 June 1991 15 May 1996) Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha (19982004) Prime Minister of India (22 May 2004 Present)
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Awarding Organisation Appeal of Conscience Foundation Time Indian Parliamentary Group Annasaheb Chirmule Trust Shri R. Venkataraman, The Centenarian Trust National Academy of Agricultural Sciences Tilak Smarak Trust, Pune Justice K.S. Hegde Foundation Nihon Keizai Shimbun Inc. Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi, Delhi Indian Science Congress Association Asiamoney Indian Science Congress Association London School of Economics, Centre for Asia Economy, Politics and Society
Top 100 Influential People in the World Outstanding Parliamentarian Award Annasaheb Chirmule Award
H.H. Kanchi Sri Paramacharya Award for Excellence Fellow of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, New Delhi Lokmanya Tilak Award Justice K.S. Hegde Foundation Award Nikkei Asia prize for Regional Growth Honorary Professorship Jawaharlal Nehru Birth Centenary Award (199495) Finance Minister of the Year Jawaharlal Nehru Birth Centenary Award (199495) Elected Distinguished Fellow of the London School of Economics
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Elected Honorary Fellow, Nuffield College Elected Distinguished Fellow of the London School of Economics Elected Honorary Fellow of the All India Management Association Finance Minister of the Year Finance Minister of the Year Padma Vibhushan Elected National Fellow, National Institute of Education Elected President of the Indian Economic Association Elected Honorary Fellow, St. John's College Elected Honorary Fellow, Indian Institute of Bankers Honorary Professorship Elected Wrenbury Scholar Adam Smith Prize Wright Prize for Distinguished Performance Uttar Chand Kapur Medal, for standing first in M.A. (Economics) University Medal for standing first in B.A. (Honors Economics) Nuffield College, University of Oxford, Oxford, U.K. London School of Economics, Centre for Asia Economy, Politics and Society All India Management Association Euromoney Asiamoney President of India National Institute of Education Indian Economic Association St. John's College, Cambridge Indian Institute of Bankers Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi University of Cambridge, U.K. University of Cambridge, U.K. St. Johns College, Cambridge, U.K. Panjab University, Chandigarh{Was then in Hoshiarpur,Punjab} Panjab University, Chandigarh
1994 1994 1994 1993 1993 1987 1986 1985 1982 1982 1976 1957 1956 1955 1954 1952
References
[1] Hindus Contribution Towards Making Of Pakistan (http:/ / www. modernghana. com/ blogs/ 268394/ 31/ hindus-contribution-towards-making-of-pakistan. html) 22 May 2010 Retrieved 28 January 2011 [2] "Background Note: India" (http:/ / www. state. gov/ r/ pa/ ei/ bgn/ 3454. htm). Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs. U. S. Department of State. . Retrieved 27 March 2012. [3] "RAJYA SABHA(COUNCIL OF STATES)" (http:/ / eci. nic. in/ eci_main/ miscellaneous_statistics/ rajya_sabha_council. pdf). . Retrieved 2011-12-18. [4] "" (http:/ / timesofindia. indiatimes. com/ world/ rest-of-world/ Manmohan-arrives-in-Myanmar-First-Indian-PM-to-visit-in-25-years/ articleshow/ 13571678. cms). . Retrieved 2012-05-27. [5] "Detailed Profile: Dr. Manmohan Singh" (http:/ / india. gov. in/ govt/ rajyasabhampbiodata. php?mpcode=2). . Retrieved 2011-12-18. [6] "India - Head of Government" (http:/ / www. thecommonwealth. org/ YearbookInternal/ 172024/ head_of_government). . [7] Biswas, Soutik (14 October 2005). "India's architect of reforms" (http:/ / news. bbc. co. uk/ 1/ hi/ world/ south_asia/ 3725357. stm). BBC News. . Retrieved 11 December 2008. [8] Waldman, Amy (23 May 2004). "India Swears In 13th Prime Minister and First Sikh in Job" (http:/ / www. nytimes. com/ 2004/ 05/ 23/ world/ india-swears-in-13th-prime-minister-and-first-sikh-in-job. html). NYT. . [9] "Government College, Hoshiarpur | Colleges in Hoshiarpur Punjab" (http:/ / www. punjabcolleges. com/ 522-indiacolleges-Government-College-Hoshiarpur/ ). Punjabcolleges.com. . Retrieved 2011-09-26. [10] "Three sardars and their Hoshiarpur connection" (http:/ / portal. bsnl. in/ bsnl/ asp/ content mgmt/ html content/ hotnews/ hotnews35448. html). Portal.bsnl.in. 1932-03-23. . Retrieved 2011-09-26. [11] "Hoshiarpur" (http:/ / articles. timesofindia. indiatimes. com/ keyword/ hoshiarpur/ recent/ 4). The Times Of India. . [12] "Curriculum Vitae" (http:/ / pmindia. nic. in/ cv. pdf) (PDF). Prime Minister's Office. . Retrieved 11 December 2008. [13] "Lalit Narayan Mishra" (http:/ / lalit-narayan-mishra. co. tv/ ). . [14] rediff Business Desk (26 September 2005). "Manmohan Singh: Father of Indian Reform" (http:/ / www. rediff. com/ money/ 2005/ sep/ 26pm. htm). Rediff.com. . Retrieved 3 January 2010.
Manmohan Singh
[15] Mahalakshmi Hariharan (Saturday 2 January 2010). "Forex reserves swell 11% in 2009" (http:/ / in. biz. yahoo. com/ 100101/ 50/ bauua1. html). Yahoo Finance India. . Retrieved 3 January 2010. [16] Friedman, Thomas L. (2008). The World is Flat A brief history of the twenty-first century. Picador. p.488. ISBN0-374-29288-4. [17] "Manmohan is Deng Xiaoping of India: P Chidambaram Oneindia News" (http:/ / news. oneindia. in/ 2008/ 05/ 02/ manmohan-is-deng-xiaoping-of-india-p-chidambaram-1209740775. html). News.oneindia.in. 2 May 2008. . Retrieved 15 February 2011. [18] "Indian Leader Bars Key Aide From Quitting in Stock Scam" (http:/ / www. nytimes. com/ 1994/ 01/ 01/ world/ indian-leader-bars-key-aide-from-quitting-in-stock-scam. html?pagewanted=1). The New York Times. 1 January 1994. . Retrieved 7 April 2010. [19] "Profile: Prime Minister India" (http:/ / india. gov. in/ govt/ primeminister. php). Indian gov.. . Retrieved 23 May 2009. 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[31] Infiltration has not reduced in Kashmir, insurgency down in North East: Chidambaram (http:/ / buzz7. com/ news/ infiltration-has-not-reduced-in-kashmir-insurgency-down-in-north-east-chidambaram. html) [32] RTI Act: A strong tool to cleanse corruption in India (http:/ / www. merinews. com/ article/ rti-act-a-strong-tool-to-cleanse-corruption-in-india/ 15787433. shtml) [33] China becomes India's 2nd largest trade partner (http:/ / english. peopledaily. com. cn/ 90001/ 90778/ 90861/ 6873167. html) [34] Bajoria, Jayshree (23 October 2008). "India-Afghanistan Relations" (http:/ / www. cfr. org/ publication/ 17474/ indiaafghanistan_relations. html). Council on Foreign Relations. . Retrieved 11 December 2008. [35] India announces more Afghan aid (http:/ / news. bbc. co. uk/ 2/ hi/ 7540204. stm) [36] "U.S., India ink historic civilian nuclear deal" (http:/ / english. peopledaily. com. cn/ 90001/ 90777/ 90852/ 6513319. html). People's Daily. 11 October 2008. . Retrieved 11 December 2008. [37] "Several African leaders to attend Africa-India summit, AU says" (http:/ / africanpress. wordpress. com/ 2008/ 03/ 28/ several-african-leaders-to-attend-africa-india-summit-au-says/ ). African Press International. 28 March 2008. . Retrieved 11 December 2008. [38] Beri, Ruchita (10 December 2008). "IBSA Dialogue Forum: A Strategic Partnership" (http:/ / www. africanexecutive. com/ modules/ magazine/ articles. php?article=3708). The African Executive. . Retrieved 11 December 2008. [39] Halarnkar, Samar (23 October 2007). "India and Israel: The great seduction" (http:/ / www. hindustantimes. com/ StoryPage/ StoryPage. aspx?id=ea163747-b106-4e32-b231-7eb64de62985). Hindustan Times. . Retrieved 11 December 2008. [40] Waldman, Amy (7 September 2003). "The Bond Between India and Israel Grows" (http:/ / query. nytimes. com/ gst/ fullpage. html?res=9B0DE3DD163BF934A3575AC0A9659C8B63). The New York Times. . Retrieved 11 December 2008. [41] Dikshit, Sandeep (17 April 2008). "Centre admits to problems in naval deals" (http:/ / www. hindu. com/ 2008/ 04/ 17/ stories/ 2008041761781200. htm). The Hindu (Chennai, India). . Retrieved 11 December 2008. [42] Roychowdhury, Amitabh (6 December 2006). "India, Russia sign agreements to further strengthen ties" (http:/ / www. outlookindia. com/ pti_news. asp?id=339943). Outlook. . Retrieved 11 December 2008. [43] "India's ruling party wins resounding victory" (http:/ / www. google. com/ hostednews/ ap/ article/ ALeqM5gf53l7BbUSc4DUHCgzjLF4YfW9CgD987BC100). Associated Press. 16 May 2009. . Retrieved 16 May 2009. [44] "Second UPA win, a crowning glory for Sonia's ascendancy" (http:/ / www. business-standard. com/ india/ news/ second-upa-wincrowning-glory-for-sonia\s-ascendancy/ 61892/ on). Business Standard. 16 May 2009. . Retrieved 13 June 2009. [45] "Smooth sailing for UPA, parties scramble to support" (http:/ / ibnlive. in. com/ news/ smooth-sailing-for-upa-parties-scramble-to-support/ 92967-37. html). CNN-IBN. 19 May 2009. . Retrieved 13 June 2009. [46] "Team Manmohan set to form govt today" (http:/ / www. timesnow. tv/ Team-manmohan-set-to-form-govt-today/ articleshow/ 4317510. cms). Times Now. 22 May 2009. . Retrieved 13 June 2009.
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[47] "India PM Singh takes oath for second term" (http:/ / www. reuters. com/ article/ marketsNews/ idUSDEL00004820090522). Reuters. 22 May 2009. . Retrieved 13 June 2009. [48] PM Manmohan Singh is the best example of integrity: Khushwant Singh date= 17 August 2010 publisher Times Of India (http:/ / timesofindia. indiatimes. com/ india/ PM-Manmohan-Singh-is-the-best-example-of-integrity-Khushwant-Singh/ articleshow/ 6325672. cms) [49] by Christopher DickeyAugust 16, 2010 (16 August 2010). "Go to the Head of the Class" (http:/ / www. newsweek. com/ content/ newsweek/ 2010/ 08/ 16/ go-to-the-head-of-the-class. html). Newsweek. . Retrieved 15 February 2011. [50] "The World's Most Powerful People: Manmohan Singh" (http:/ / www. forbes. com/ profile/ manmohan-singh). Forbes. 3 November 2010. . [51] "The World's Most Powerful People: Sonia Gandhi" (http:/ / www. forbes. com/ profile/ sonia-gandhi). Forbes. 3 November 2010. . [52] "India's corruption scandals" (http:/ / www. bbc. co. uk/ news/ world-south-asia-12769214). BBC. 18 April 2012. . [53] "Time magazine dubs Manmohan Singh as 'underachiever'." (http:/ / timesofindia. indiatimes. com/ india/ Time-magazine-dubs-Manmohan-Singh-as-underachiever/ articleshow/ 14743927. cms). 08 July 2012. . [54] "Cong counters Time magazine's 'underachiever' remark against PM" (http:/ / www. indianexpress. com/ news/ cong-counters-time-magazines-underachiever-remark-against-pm/ 971792/ ). 8 July 2012. . [55] "Saviour or Sonia's poodle, asks UK paper about PM Manmohan Singh" (http:/ / timesofindia. indiatimes. com/ india/ Saviour-or-Sonias-poodle-asks-UK-paper-about-PM-Manmohan-Singh/ articleshow/ 15010224. cms). 17 July 2012. . [56] "Manmohan Singh is a weak PM, reiterates Advani : East News - India Today" (http:/ / indiatoday. intoday. in/ story/ manmohan-singh-lk-advani-jan-chetna-yatra/ 1/ 157000. html). . Retrieved 2012-05-17.. Indiatoday.intoday.in (2011-10-21). Retrieved on 2012-05-17. [57] "Manmohan Singh weak PM, unbecoming of the coveted post: BJP - India - DNA" (http:/ / www. dnaindia. com/ india/ report_manmohan-singh-weak-pm-unbecoming-of-the-coveted-post-bjp_1640518). . Retrieved 2012-05-17.. Dnaindia.com (2012-01-21). Retrieved on 2012-05-17. [58] "Dangerous to have a weak PM: Anna" (http:/ / zeenews. india. com/ news/ nation/ dangerous-to-have-a-weak-pm-anna_746121. html). . Retrieved 2012-05-17.. Zeenews.india.com (2011-12-09). Retrieved on 2012-05-17. [59] "Centre suffering from 'policy paralysis', alleges Jayalalithaa" (http:/ / www. indianexpress. com/ news/ centre-suffering-from-policy-paralysis-alleges-jayalalithaa/ 978700/ 0). 24 July 2012. . [60] "Dr. Manmohan Singh: Personal Profile" (http:/ / www. pmindia. nic. in/ meet. htm). Prime Minister's Office, Government of India. . Retrieved 4 April 2009. [61] Raote, Rrishi (10 October 2008). "This Singh is King of History" (http:/ / www. business-standard. com/ india/ storypage. php?autono=330920& chkFlg=). Business Standard. . Retrieved 4 April 2009. [62] "Meet Dr. Singh's daughter" (http:/ / specials. rediff. com/ news/ 2009/ jan/ 28slid1-dr-manmohan-singhs-daughter-daman-singh-turns-author. htm). Rediff.com. 28 January 2009. . Retrieved 4 April 2009. [63] Rajghatta, Chidanand (21 December 2007). "PM's daughter puts White House in the dock" (http:/ / timesofindia. indiatimes. com/ articleshow/ msid-2639327,prtpage-1. cms). Times of India. . Retrieved 13 October 2008. [64] "One graft successfully performed on Manmohan Singh" (http:/ / www. hindu. com/ thehindu/ holnus/ 000200901241640. htm). The Hindu (Chennai, India). 24 January 2009. . Retrieved 24 January 2009. [65] Puneet Singh Lamba (14 November 2005). "Biographies Manmohan Singh: Architect of the New India" (http:/ / www. sikhtimes. com/ bios_111405a. html). The Sikh Times. . Retrieved 15 February 2011. [66] "Gursharan Kaur Kohli 's Profile" (http:/ / www. katagogi. com/ Profile/ Profile. aspx?l=EN& fid=13495& No=2e8d9c84-1000-48e4-8c20-0da2e2c3b58e& PreveVal=7827). Katagogi. . Retrieved 15 February 2011. [67] "Cabinet declares assets, Kamal Nath richest" (http:/ / timesofindia. indiatimes. com/ india/ Cabinet-declares-assets-Kamal-Nath-richest/ articleshow/ 9847484. cms). The Times Of India. 3 September 2011. . [68] "What happened to PM's honorary degree?" (http:/ / www. asianage. com/ india/ what-happened-pms-honorary-degree-100). Asian Age. . Retrieved May 20, 2012. [69] "University of Alberta confers honorary doctorate on Manmohan Singh" (http:/ / www. ualberta. ca/ ~publicas/ folio/ 34/ 15/ 03. html). . [70] "Oxford University confers doctorate degree on Manmohan Singh" (http:/ / www. ox. ac. uk/ media/ news_stories/ 2005/ 050214. html). . [71] "Cambridge University confers doctorate degree on Manmohan Singh" (http:/ / www. telegraphindia. com/ 1061015/ asp/ look/ story_6862282. asp). . [72] to apply for a Manmohan Singh Undergraduate Scholarship., Applicants to the University from India may be eligible. "Manmohan Singh Scholarships for applicants from India" (http:/ / www. study. cam. ac. uk/ undergraduate/ international/ finance/ support. html). study.cam.ac.uk. . [73] "Manmohan Singh awarded honorary doctorate degree by BHU" (http:/ / articles. timesofindia. indiatimes. com/ 2008-03-15/ india/ 27741134_1_d-litt-honorary-doctorate-satish-gujral-and-historian). The Times Of India. 15 March 2008. . [74] "Manmohan Singh conferred honorary doctorate degree by Madras University" (http:/ / news. oneindia. in/ 2008/ 09/ 05/ manmohan-conferred-honorary-doctorate-degree-madras-university-1220621460. html). . [75] "Manmohan conferred honorary doctorate by King Saud University" (http:/ / www. thehindu. com/ news/ national/ article124297. ece). The Hindu (Chennai, India). 1 March 2010. . [76] PTI (September 23, 2010). "Manmohan Singh honoured with 2010 World Statesman Award" (http:/ / www. hindustantimes. com/ world-news/ Americas/ Manmohan-Singh-honoured-with-2010-World-Statesman-Award/ Article1-603591. aspx). Hindustan Times. . Retrieved 27 March 2012.
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[77] Sen, Amartya (April 18, 2005). "Manmohan Singh: The 2005 TIME 100" (http:/ / www. time. com/ time/ specials/ packages/ article/ 0,28804,1972656_1972691_1973012,00. html). Time. . Retrieved 27 March 2012.
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External links
Official Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (http://pmindia.nic.in/) official website Profile (http://pmindia.nic.in/meet.htm) & Curriculum Vitae (http://pmindia.nic.in/cv.htm) List of current Union Ministers (http://india.gov.in/govt/cabinet.php) Other Profile (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3725357.stm) at BBC News Profile (http://www.forbes.com/profile/manmohan-singh) at Forbes Official State Visit at the White House (http://www.whitehouse.gov/photos-and-video/photogallery/ prime-minister-manmohan-singh-india-official-state-visit) Manmohan Singh (http://english.aljazeera.net/category/person/manmohan-singh) collected news and commentary at Al Jazeera English Manmohan Singh (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/s/manmohan_singh/) collected news and commentary at The New York Times Manmohan Singh (http://topics.wsj.com/person/S/manmohan-singh/6373) collected news and commentary at The Wall Street Journal Manmohan Singh (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Manmohan-Singh) collected news and commentary at The Times of India Appearances (http://www.c-spanvideo.org/manmohansingh) on C-SPAN Manmohan Singh (http://www.charlierose.com/guest/view/657) on Charlie Rose Articles authored (http://journalisted.com/manmohan-singh) at Journalisted Works by or about Manmohan Singh (http://worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n89-294611) in libraries (WorldCat catalog) Manmohan Singh (http://www.nndb.com/people/833/000047692/) at the Notable Names Database
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