V. P. Singh facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Vishwanath Pratap Singh
Singh in Brussels, 1983

7th Prime Minister of India
In office 2 December 1989 – 10 November 1990
President	R. Venkataraman
Vice President	Shankar Dayal Sharma
Deputy	Chaudhary Devi Lal (until 1 August 1990)
Preceded by	Rajiv Gandhi
Succeeded by	Chandra Shekhar
Minister of External Affairs
In office 2 December 1989 – 5 December 1989
Preceded by	P. V. Narasimha Rao
Succeeded by	I. K. Gujral
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
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
In office 1980–1980
Preceded by	Janeshwar Mishra
Succeeded by	Krishna Prakash Tiwari
Constituency	Allahabad
In office 1988–1989
Preceded by	Amitabh Bachchan
Succeeded by	Janeshwar Mishra
Constituency	Allahabad
In office 1971–1977
Preceded by	Janeshwar Mishra
Succeeded by	Kamala Bahuguna
Constituency	Phulpur
President of Jan Morcha
In office 1988
Preceded by	postion established
Succeeded by	postion abloished
In office 2006
Preceded by	postion reestablished
Succeeded by	postion reabloished
1st President of Janata Dal
In office 1988 - 1999
Preceded by	postion established
Succeeded by	Sharad Yadav

Personal details
Born	(1931-06-25)25 June 1931 Allahabad, United Provinces, British India (present-day Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India)
Died	27 November 2008(2008-11-27) (aged 77) New Delhi, India
Political party	Indian National Congress (Before 1987) Janata Dal (1988–1999) Jan Morcha (1987–1988, 2006–2008)
Spouse	Seetha Kumari (m. 1955)
Children	Ajeya Pratap Singh and Abhai Singh
Alma mater	Allahabad University (BA, LL.B.) University of Pune (BSc)

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

House	Gaharwal
Religion	Hinduism
Signature

Vishwanath Pratap Singh (born 25 June 1931 – died 27 November 2008), often called V. P. Singh, was an important Indian politician. He served as the 7th Prime Minister of India from 1989 to 1990. He was also the 41st Raja Bahadur of Manda, making him the only Indian Prime Minister who was once a royal.

He studied at Allahabad University and Fergusson College in Pune. In 1969, he joined the Indian National Congress party. He was elected to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly. In 1971, he became a Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha. He worked as the Minister of Commerce from 1976 to 1977. In 1980, he became the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. He was known for his efforts to control crime in the state.

Under Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, Singh held several important positions. These included Minister of Finance and Minister of Defence. He was also the Leader of the Rajya Sabha from 1984 to 1987. During his time as Defence Minister, a controversy about an arms deal, known as the Bofors scandal, came to light. Singh resigned from his post because of this. In 1988, he started the Janata Dal party by bringing together different political groups. In the 1989 elections, his party, the National Front, formed the government with support from other parties. Singh then became the Prime Minister of India.

As Prime Minister, he put into action the Mandal Commission report. This report suggested reserving government jobs for certain disadvantaged groups, which led to big protests. He also helped pass important laws like the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 in 1989. His government faced challenges, including the kidnapping of Rubaiya Sayeed. In 1990, many Kashmiri Hindus had to leave their homes in Kashmir. When a major political party withdrew its support, Singh's government lost a vote of confidence. He resigned on 7 November 1990, after serving for 343 days.

After his time as Prime Minister, Singh continued to be a public figure. He spoke out against the Babri Masjid demolition in 1992. After 1996, he stepped back from political roles. He was diagnosed with cancer in 1998 but continued to be a political commentator. He passed away in 2008 due to health issues and received full state honors.

Early Life and Education

Vishwanath Pratap Singh was born on 25 June 1931. He was the third child in a Hindu Rajput family in Daiya, near the Belan River. He was later adopted by Raja Bahadur Ram Gopal Singh of Manda. At the age of 10, in 1941, he became the Raja Bahadur of Manda. His family's ancestors were rulers of the Manikpur state, founded in 1180.

He went to Colonel Brown Cambridge School in Dehradun. He earned a Bachelor of Arts and a Law degree from Allahabad University. He was also elected as the vice president of the Allahabad University Students Union. Later, he received a Bachelor of Science degree in physics from Fergusson College in Pune University.

Early Steps in Politics

Singh began his political journey in 1969. He was elected to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly from Soraon. He was a member of the Congress Party. In 1971, he was elected to the Lok Sabha, India's lower house of Parliament. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi appointed him as a Deputy Minister of Commerce in 1974. He served as the Minister of Commerce from 1976 to 1977.

Leading Uttar Pradesh

In 1980, Singh became the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. During his time as Chief Minister (1980–82), he worked hard to control crime. He gained national attention when he offered to resign after feeling he hadn't fully solved the problem. He even oversaw the surrender of some notorious criminals in 1983. He later returned to his role as Minister of Commerce in 1983.

Serving in the Rajya Sabha

After resigning as Chief Minister, he became the leader of the Rajya Sabha in 1984. He held this position until 1987. He resigned from the Rajya Sabha when he left the Congress party in 1987.

Member of Parliament in Lok Sabha

Singh was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 1971 from Phulpur (Lok Sabha constituency). He won again in 1980 from Allahabad. He resigned when he became Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. After leaving Congress in 1987, he won a special election for the Allahabad seat. In 1989, he was elected from Fatehpur and became Prime Minister. He was re-elected from Fatehpur in 1991, which was his last election.

Key Roles in Government

Singh was seen as a very important leader in the Indian National Congress. He held many significant government positions. These included Minister of Defence, Minister of External Affairs, and Minister of Finance.

Minister of Finance (1984–1987)

In 1984, after Rajiv Gandhi became Prime Minister, Singh was appointed Finance Minister. He worked to reduce government control over businesses. He also tried to stop gold smuggling by lowering taxes on gold. He gave special powers to the Enforcement Directorate, a part of the Finance Ministry that tracks down tax evaders. His efforts to fight tax fraud were widely praised.

However, after many investigations into suspected tax evaders, he was moved to the Defence Ministry in January 1987. This was possibly because some of the investigations involved people who had supported the Congress party.

Minister of Defence (1987)

In 1987, Singh became the Defence Minister of India. He held this position for a short time, from January to April 1987. During this period, he began looking into defense deals. Information about the Bofors scandal, an arms deal controversy, started to emerge. Before he could take further action, he was removed from the Cabinet. In response, he resigned from the Congress Party and the Lok Sabha. This controversy played a big part in his rise to become Prime Minister.

Minister of External Affairs (1989)

He also served briefly as the Minister of External Affairs for just three days in December 1989.

Forming the Janata Dal Party

After leaving the Congress party, Singh, along with his colleagues, started a new opposition party called Jan Morcha. He won a special election to the Lok Sabha from Allahabad. On 11 October 1988, Singh founded the Janata Dal party. This party was formed by merging several other parties to unite all groups against the Rajiv Gandhi government. Singh was elected the President of the Janata Dal.

The Janata Dal then formed a larger group called the National Front. This group included regional parties and aimed to challenge the ruling Congress party.

In the 1989 General Elections, the National Front worked with other major opposition parties. This helped them win a majority in the Lok Sabha. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Left parties supported the National Front government from outside.

On 1 December, Singh suggested Devi Lal as Prime Minister. However, Devi Lal declined and said Singh should be Prime Minister. Singh then took the oath as India's Prime Minister on 2 December 1989.

Prime Minister (1989–1990)

Singh was Prime Minister for less than a year, from 2 December 1989 to 10 November 1990. During his time, his party gained control of both houses of Parliament. The Janata Dal also came to power in several Indian states. Singh decided to end the Indian army's operation in Sri Lanka. This operation had been sent by the previous government to fight a separatist movement.

In Punjab, Singh replaced the Governor and worked towards new elections. He also visited the Golden Temple to seek forgiveness for past events. These actions helped calm the long-standing unrest in Punjab. He also worked to prevent a border conflict with Pakistan.

Challenges in Kashmir

Soon after taking office, Singh faced a crisis in Kashmir. Militants kidnapped the daughter of his Home Minister. His government agreed to release some militants in exchange for her safety. This decision caused much criticism. Later, many Kashmiri Hindus were forced to leave their homes in the Kashmir Valley due to violence.

Important Laws and Policies

In 1989, Singh's government passed the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. This law aimed to protect members of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes from violence and discrimination. It provided strict punishments for such crimes.

Singh also decided to implement the Mandal Commission report. This report recommended reserving a certain percentage of government jobs for Other Backward Classes. This decision led to widespread protests by upper-caste youth in northern India. However, it also strengthened the political power of backward castes.

Fall of the Government

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) started a movement related to the Ram Janmabhoomi issue. The BJP president, L. K. Advani, traveled across northern states to gather support. He was arrested before reaching the disputed site. This led the BJP to withdraw its support for Singh's government.

V. P. Singh then faced a vote of no confidence in the Lok Sabha. He argued that he stood for secularism and had protected the Babri Masjid, even at the cost of his power. He lost the vote with 142 votes in favor and 346 against. Singh resigned on 7 November 1990.

After Being Prime Minister

Singh ran in the new elections but his party lost. He then retired from active politics. He spent the next few years traveling and speaking about social justice. He also pursued his interest in painting.

The Vice President of India, Shri Bhairon Singh Shekhawat looking at painting works by the former Prime Minister Shri V. P. Singh, after inaugurating the exhibition, in New Delhi on 14 February 2006

In 1992, Singh suggested K. R. Narayanan as a candidate for Vice President, who later became President. Later that year, he tried to protest against a religious gathering in Ayodhya but was arrested. The Babri Masjid was demolished a few days later. In 1996, he was offered the position of Prime Minister again but he declined.

In 1998, Singh was diagnosed with cancer and stopped making public appearances. When his health improved in 2003, he became active again. He relaunched the Jan Morcha party in 2006. He also supported farmers protesting against land acquisition.

The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, paying homage at the mortal remains of the former Prime Minister, Shri V. P. Singh, in New Delhi on 28 November 2008

V. P. Singh passed away on 27 November 2008, at the age of 77. He had been battling multiple myeloma and kidney failure. He was cremated in Allahabad with full state honors.

Personal Life

Singh married Princess Sita Kumari on 25 June 1955. She was from a royal family in Rajasthan. They had two sons: Ajeya Pratap Singh (born 1957) and Abhai Singh (born 1958). After his death, his elder son, Ajeya Singh, became the 42nd Raja Bahadur of the Manda estate. In 2009, Ajeya Singh merged his party, Jan Morcha, with the Indian National Congress.

Cultural Legacy

Films

Juliet Reynolds, an art critic and friend, made a documentary about him called The Art of the Impossible. It covers his political and artistic life.
Suma Josson made another film about Singh titled One More Day to Live.

Books

The State as Charade: V.P. Singh, Chandra Shekhar & the Rest by Arun Shourie.
Matters of Discretion: An Autobiography by Inder Kumar Gujral.
Gatham Swagatham by P. Upendra.
My Presidential Years by Ramaswamy Venkataraman.

Images for kids

Map of Ram Rath Yatra by L. K. Advani.
Janata Dal, party of Singh.
V. P. Singh and his wife Sita Kumari with NCC cadet D. Roopa.