Chandra Shekhar | |
|---|---|
 Shekhar on a 2010 postage stamp of India | |
| 8th Prime Minister of India | |
| In office 10 November 1990 – 21 June 1991 | |
| President | R. Venkataraman |
| Deputy | Devi Lal |
| Preceded by | V. P. Singh |
| Succeeded by | P. V. Narasimha Rao |
| President of the Janata Party | |
| In office 1977–1988 | |
| Preceded by | position established |
| Succeeded by | Ajit Singh |
| Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha | |
| In office 1989–2007 | |
| Preceded by | Jagannath Chowdhary |
| Succeeded by | Neeraj Shekhar |
| Constituency | Ballia, Uttar Pradesh |
| In office 1977–1984 | |
| Preceded by | Chandrika Prasad |
| Succeeded by | Jagannath Chowdhary |
| Constituency | Ballia, Uttar Pradesh |
| Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha | |
| In office 1962–1977 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 17 April 1927 Ibrahimpatti, United Provinces, British India (present-day Uttar Pradesh, India) |
| Died | 8 July 2007 (aged 80) New Delhi, Delhi, India |
| Monuments | Jannayak Sthal |
| Political party | Samajwadi Janata Party (Rashtriya) (1990–2007) |
| Other political affiliations |
|
| Spouse | Duja Devi |
| Children | 2 (including Neeraj Shekhar) |
| Alma mater | Allahabad University |
| Signature |  |
Chandra Shekhar (17 April 1927 – 8 July 2007), also known as Jananayak, was an Indian politician and the Prime Minister of India, between 10 November 1990 and 21 June 1991. He headed a minority government of a breakaway faction of the Janata Dal with outside support from the Indian National Congress.[1] He was the first Indian Prime Minister who had never held any prior government office.[2][3][4]
His government was formed with the fewest party MPs in the Lok Sabha.[5][6] His government could not pass the budget[7] at a crucial time when Moody's had downgraded India, after Shekhar's government was unable to pass the budget, global credit-rating agencies further downgraded India from investment grade, making it impossible to even get short-term loans, and in no position to give any commitment to reform, the World Bank and IMF stopped their assistance. Shekhar had to authorise mortgaging of gold to avoid default of payment, and this action came in for particular criticism, as it was done secretly in the midst of the election.[8][9][10] The 1991 Indian economic crisis and the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi plunged his government into crisis.[citation needed] Granting the permission for US military planes to refuel in Indian airports during the Gulf War improved the Prime Minister's image with the West.[11][12]
- ^ Sanjoy Hazarika (10 November 1990). "Rival of Singh Becomes India Premier". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
- ^ Sanjoy Hazarika (11 November 1990). "Socialist Is Installed as India's Eleventh Prime Minister". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
- ^ "Denied Ticket, What's Next For Varun Gandhi? Mother Maneka Gandhi Says..." NDTV.com. 22 February 2019. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
- ^ "Ephemeral Governments". TheDailyGuardian. 11 May 2024. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
- ^ Inderjit Badhwar,.Prabhu Chawla (15 December 1990). "Chandra Shekhar exploits fears, weaknesses of Congress(I) and Janata Dal(S)". India Today. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
- ^ "The Interim Man". The Economist. 1990. p. 42.
- ^ Yashwant Sinha (29 July 2016). "1991, the untold story". The Hindu. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
- ^ Deepak Nayar (18 October 2016). "How the economy found its feet". The Hindu. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
- ^ Shaji Vikraman (5 April 2017). "In fact: How govts pledged gold to pull economy back from the brink". The Indian Express. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
- ^ Stuart Corbridge; John Harriss (28 May 2013). Reinventing India: Liberalization, Hindu Nationalism and Popular Democracy. Wiley. pp. 144–. ISBN 978-0-7456-6604-4. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
- ^ "Welcome to www.Janata Party.org". 16 December 2008. Archived from the original on 16 December 2008. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
- ^ Crossette, Barbara (13 November 1990). "Man in The News; India's Freewheeling Leader: Chandra Shekhar". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 26 December 2021.