V P Singh, former Prime Minister of India

New Delhi: Vishwanath Pratap Singh was born on 25th June 1931 in Allahabad. He was a veteran politician and the 8th Prime Minister of India. He was born in a traditional landlord's family that ruled the kingdom of Manda. His father was Raja Bahadur Ram Gopal Singh. Vishwanath Pratap Singh married into the principality of Deogarh in Rajasthan to Sita Kumari in 1955. They were blessed with two sons Ajeya Singh and Abhai Singh. Ajeya Singh is a member of the Congress party now. V P Singh was an avid reader and poet. He pursued BA, LLB and BSc from Allahabad and Pune University. V P Singh's greatest contribution as the Prime Minister was to set up the Mandal Commission that gave reservation to people from backward class. V P Singh is also called the ‘Renaissance Man' of India. V P Singh was very different from the politicians we see today. He was born in a privileged family and had access to all the luxuries. He was brought up as a single child guarded by gunmen. He had guardians and tutors to educate him. So climbing up the success ladder would have been easier for him. Yet it was not in his nature to go for a comfortable life that his family had lived for generations. V P Singh was laborious. He undertook every task wholeheartedly and ensured that it was accomplished successfully. He donated large tracts of land to the Bhoodan movement. He also built roads in Manda and schools in other parts of Uttar Pradesh. He carried bricks on his head to to encourage laborers and to ensure that they worked wholeheartedly. After the schools were constructed, he worked there as a teacher. V P Singh won he hearts of people through his actions and very soon he entered mainstream politics. Singh became an MLA of Uttar Pradesh in 1969 on the ticket of the Indian National Congress. He won election to the Lok Sabha in 1971 and was appointed the Deputy Minister of Commerce by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1974. He served as the Minister of Commerce in 1976–77. In 1980, V P Singh was appointed as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. Today Uttar Pradesh is haunted by the rapidly increasing number of heinous crimes like rape, murder, etc. Even then it was in no better shape. But unlike the present government's laid-back attitude, V P Singh strived to eradicate crime. He cracked hard on dacoity and banditry as these two problems were most severe in the state. He offered to resign following a self professed failure to remove the problem. He also supervised the surrender of some of the most feared dacoits in UP in 1983.V P Singh held important portfolios like Ministry of Commerce and Finance. It was because of him that gold smuggling was checked.He would give a part of the confiscated gold to the police. So greed in a way encouraged officials to work sincerely.He got high profile raids conducted on Dhirubhai Ambani and Amitabh Bachan. Congress party had to remove him from Finance Ministry as he posed a threat to the party's cordial relationship with industrialists. When V P Singh.as the then defence minister, started examining Bofors scam, he was sacked from the Cabinet. So in response, V P Singh quit the party and formed his own – Jan Morcha. He once again contested Lok Sabha elections and won from Allahabad. Later on he formed Janata Dal by forming an alliance with Janata Morcha, Lok Dal and Congress (S). All these parties opposed the Congress Party. They further formed coalition with other regional parties and contested elections in 1989 under the banner of National Front and won a majority. V P Singh was sworn in as the Prime Minister on 2nd December, 1989. Although he served as the PM for merely 11 months, he left quite an indelible mark. He thwarted efforts of Pakistan to start war with India. He visited the Golden Temple to ask forgiveness for Operation Blue Star. His appeal played a role in calming down the rebellion in Punjab in a couple of months.He took the initiative to implement the recommendations of the Mandal Commission. This Commission suggested a fixed quota in the public sector for OBC. V P Singh was criticized by the upper class but he won the hearts of OBC. He is one of those people who tried to bring about balance in the society through removal of castes. His government asked Lalu Prasad to arrest L K Advani who was leading Rath Yatra for the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Advani was arrested on charges of disrupting peace and creating communal violence. Advani's arrest angered the BJP and it withdrew its support from the central government. V P Singh always stood for what he felt was right. He feared none as along as he was morally on the right track. Thus he resigned as the Prime Minister on 7th November, 1990. Later on V P Singh retired from politics. He dedicated his life to painting, poetry and social service. To maintain harmony in the country he tried his best to prevent the demolition of Babri Masjid in Ayodhya. Singh was arrested before he reached Ayodhya and the mosque was demolished. V P Singh was diagnosed with cancer in 1998. He re- launched Jan Morcha in 2006 but it could not succeed. In 2009, Singh's son, Ajeya took charge of the party and it eventually merged with the Congress party in 2009. He had been suffering with Cancer (Myeloma) for long. Finally he succumbed to the disease and breathed his last on 27th November 2008. He was cremated in Allahabad - the city he loved and belonged to. On his death, the Central government announced a seven day state mourning as a mark of respect to him. Indeed V P Singh was a “Renaissance Man”. He refused to be the rubber stamp of the Congress party. It was a privilege for the nation to be under the governance of a leader who had strength of character. He was able to take a firm position with regard to issues like corruption and secular fabric of the country. He was prepared to resign from coveted posts when he was being compelled to move away from his principles. He was a man with inherent values. Apart from his leadership skills, V P Singh was an excellent photographer and painter. He began photography with a box camera and later on developed the art with professional camera. Records of his sketches still exist. He was very fond of nature and this can be reflected from is art and photography. A number of books have been dedicated to him and a few of them are- The Lonely Prophet: VP Singh, a Political Biography – by Seema Mustafa, VP Singh: Portrait of a Leader by Madan Gaur, Peristroika in India: VP Singh's Prime Ministership by GS Bhargava. Suma Josson made a film on Singh that was titled ‘One More Day to Live'. V P Singh with the Former Prime Minister Indira GandhiV P Singh as a small childV P Singh addressing a conference. He was an excellent oratorA sketch by V P SinghV P Singh was very fond of nature. His sketches reflect his bond with mother natureAgain its all about nature. V P Singh funeral. V P Singh, a leader like none other.