V. P. Singh
Vishwanath Pratap Singh (25 June 1931 – 27 November 2008), shortened to V. P. Singh, was an Indian politician who was the 7th Prime Minister of India from 1989 to 1990 and the 41st Raja Bahadur of Manda. He is India's only prime minister to have been former royalty.
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 | 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, 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 (Before 1987) Janata Dal (1988–1999) Jan Morcha (1987–1988, 2006–2008) |
| Children | Ajeya Pratap Singh and Abhai Singh |
| Signature | |
He was educated at the Allahabad University and Fergusson College in Pune. In 1969, he joined the Indian National Congress party and was elected as a member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly. In 1971, he became a Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha. He served as the Minister of Commerce from 1976 to 1977. In 1980, he became the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and was known for the encounter of the gang of Phoolan Devi.
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 8th 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 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 received full state honours.