Vishwanath Pratap Singh | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Singh in Brussels, 1983 | |
| Prime Minister of India | |
| In office 2 December 1989 – 10 November 1990 | |
| President | R. Venkataraman |
| Vice President | Shankar Dayal Sharma |
| Deputy | Devi Lal (until 1 August 1990) |
| Preceded by | Rajiv Gandhi |
| Succeeded by | Chandra Shekhar |
| Union Minister of External Affairs | |
| In office 2 December 1989 – 5 December 1989 | |
| Preceded by | P. V. Narasimha Rao |
| Succeeded by | I. K. Gujral |
| Union Minister of Defence | |
| In office 2 December 1989 – 10 November 1990 | |
| Preceded by | Krishna Chandra Pant |
| Succeeded by | Chandra Shekhar |
| In office 24 January 1987 – 12 April 1987 | |
| Prime Minister | Rajiv Gandhi |
| Preceded by | Rajiv Gandhi |
| Succeeded by | Krishna Chandra Pant |
| Union Minister of Finance | |
| In office 31 December 1984 – 23 January 1987 | |
| Prime Minister | Rajiv Gandhi |
| Preceded by | Pranab Mukherjee |
| Succeeded by | Rajiv Gandhi |
| 15th Leader of the House, Rajya Sabha | |
| In office December 1984 – April 1987 | |
| Preceded by | Pranab Mukherjee |
| Succeeded by | Narayan Datt Tiwari |
| 12th Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh | |
| In office 9 June 1980 – 19 July 1982 | |
| Governor | Chandeshwar Prasad Narayan Singh |
| Preceded by | Banarsi Das |
| Succeeded by | Sripati Mishra |
| Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha | |
| In office 1983–1988 | |
| Constituency | Uttar Pradesh |
| Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha | |
| In office 1989–1996 | |
| Preceded by | Hari Krishna Shastri |
| Succeeded by | Vishambhar Prasad Nishad |
| Constituency | Fatehpur, Uttar Pradesh |
| In office 1980–1980 | |
| Preceded by | Janeshwar Mishra |
| Succeeded by | Krishna Prakash Tiwari |
| Constituency | Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh |
| In office 1988–1989 | |
| Preceded by | Amitabh Bachchan |
| Succeeded by | Janeshwar Mishra |
| Constituency | Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh |
| In office 1971–1977 | |
| Preceded by | Janeshwar Mishra |
| Succeeded by | Kamala Bahuguna |
| Constituency | Phulpur, Uttar Pradesh |
| President of Jan Morcha | |
| In office 1988 | |
| Preceded by | position established |
| Succeeded by | Raj Babbar |
| 1st President of Janata Dal | |
| In office 1988 – 1997 | |
| Preceded by | position established |
| Succeeded by | Sharad Yadav |
Pretender information | |
| Title(s) | 41st Raja Bahadur of Manda |
| Throne(s) claimed | Manda |
| Pretend from | 1971–2008 |
| Monarchy abolished | Sovereign Monarchy 1947 (Instrument of Accession) Titular Monarchy 1971 (26th Amendment of the Indian Constitution) |
| Last monarch | himself |
| Successor | Ajeya Pratap Singh |
| 41st Raja Bahadur of Manda | |
| Reign | 1941–1947 |
| Predecessor | Ram Gopal Singh |
| Titular Reign | 1947–1971 |
| Born | 25 June 1931 Allahabad, United Provinces, British India (present-day Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India) |
| Died | 27 November 2008 (aged 77) New Delhi, Delhi, India |
| Spouse |
Sita Kumari (m. 1955) |
| House | Gaharwal |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Alma mater | Allahabad University (BA, LL.B.) University of Pune (BS) |
| Political party | Indian National Congress (1969–1987) Janata Dal (1988–1999) Jan Morcha (1987–1988, 2006–2008) |
| Children | 2, including Ajeya Pratap Singh |
| Signature | |
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Vishwanath Pratap Singh (25 June 1931 – 27 November 2008), shortened to V. P. Singh, was an Indian politician and the Prime Minister of India from 1989 to 1990[2] and the 41st Raja Bahadur of Manda.[3]
He was educated at Allahabad University and Fergusson College in Pune.[4] In 1969, he joined the Indian National Congress party and was elected as a member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly.[5]
In the Rajiv Gandhi ministry, Singh was given various cabinet posts, including Minister of Finance and Minister of Defence. Singh was also the Leader of the Rajya Sabha from 1984 to 1987. During his tenure as Minister of Defence, the Bofors scandal came to light, and Singh resigned from the ministry. In 1988, he formed the Janata Dal party by merging various factions of the Janata Party. In the 1989 elections, the National Front, with the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), formed the government and Singh became the 7th Prime Minister of India.
During his tenure as prime minister, he implemented the Mandal Commission report for India's backward castes, which led to major protests against the act. He also created the Sixty-second Amendment and enacted the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Act in 1989. During his term the kidnapping of Rubaiya Sayeed happened and on the ground the terrorists were released. In 1990 the infamous exodus of Kashmiri Hindus happened from the valley of Kashmir. Following his opposition to the Ram Rath Yatra, the BJP withdrew its support for the National Front, and his government lost the vote of no-confidence. Singh resigned on 7 November 1990. His prime ministerial tenure lasted for 343 days.
Singh was the prime ministerial candidate for the National Front in the 1991 elections, but was defeated. He turned down Prime Ministership after the 1996 Indian general election even through he was the first choice and relinquished the prime ministership to Deve Gowda.[6][7] He spoke out against the Babri Masjid demolition in 1992. After 1996, Singh retired from political posts, but continued to remain a public figure and political critic. He was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 1998, and ceased public appearances until the cancer went into remission in 2003. However, he died from complications of multiple myeloma and kidney failure in 2008. He was buried with full state honours.
- ^ "VP Singh's wife to get Rs 1 lakh for defamation". The Times of India. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
- ^ "List of all Prime Ministers of India (1947-2021)". www.jagranjosh.com. 1 September 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ Rathore, Abhinay. "Manda (Zamindari)". Rajput Provinces of India. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ Pandya, Haresh (30 November 2008). "V. P. Singh, a Leader of India Who Defended Poor, Dies at 77". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
- ^ Pandya, Haresh (30 November 2008). "V. P. Singh, a Leader of India Who Defended Poor, Dies at 77". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ Mukerji, Debashish (8 December 2021). "Before Deve Gowda, VP Singh was asked to be PM of United Front. He hid in his flat, car". ThePrint. Retrieved 29 June 2024.
- ^ Srinivasaraju, Sugata (5 June 2021). "Deve Gowda and the accidental prime ministers". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 29 June 2024.