As Agriculture Minister in the NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Rajnath Singh was instrumental in implementing Kisan credit cards and easy loans for farmers.
Afer BJP's defeat in 2004 general elections, the party sat in the opposition. Veteran BJP leader LK Advani had resigned after his controversial statement eulogizing M A Jinnah and another senior leader Pramod Mahajan was assassinated by his brother. In the absence of two senior leaders, Rajnath Singh as party chief embarked on strengthening the party based on the ideology of Hindutva.
Rajnath Singh is a man of strong beliefs when it comes to Ayodhya controversy. He strongly favours a "no compromise" policy on the Ram temple issue.