Chandra Shekhar Biography: Facts, Early Life, Education, Career & More
Chandra Shekhar Singh (1st July 1927 – 8th July 2007) was a prominent Indian politician and legislator who, served as the 8th Prime Minister of India, for a short period 10th November 1990 to 21st June 1991.
He was a principle member from the Socialist party until the point he joined the Congress party in the year 1964. He split with Congress Leader Mrs. Indira Gandhi in the year 1975 and soon after he was imprisoned during the state of national emergency she had announced at that time. In the wake of resigning as the Prime Minister in the year 1991, he remained a guardian until the point when he was in the end replaced by Mr. P.V. Narasimha Rao. He kept on being dynamically involved in legislative issues until his demise in the year 2007.
Early Life and Education
Chandra Shekhar was born on 1st of July 1927 in Uttar Pradesh’s district Ballia. He hails from a poor farmer’s family from the village Ibrahimpatti. Even if he wasn’t from a financially sound family, it didn’t deter him to study and do something in life. He received his graduation degree from Satish Chandra P.G. College and he completed his Masters in Political Science from Allahabad University in the year 1951. During his tenure at the university, he was called as the Firebrand in student politics. He was under the influence of Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia and eventually under his influence he started his political journey. He was active involved in the socialist politics.
Chandra Shekhar Singh got married to Duja Devi and the couple have two sons – Pankaj and Neeraj. After his death, one of his sons – Neeraj Shekhar participated in politics and won the Ballia Lok Sabha seat which was emptied due to the death of Chandra Shekhar.
Political Career
Beginning of his career
He became a part of the communist socialist movement and was chosen as the secretary of the Ballia region’s Praja Socialist Party (PSP). Within a span of one year, he was chosen as the joint secretary of the PSP’s State unit in the state of Uttar Pradesh. In the year 1955– 56, he assumed control as general secretary of the party in Uttar Pradesh. His profession as a parliamentarian started with his selection to the Rajya Sabha– the upper house of the parliament of India – from Uttar Pradesh in the year 1962. Acharya Narendra Dev, a dynamic leads of the Socialist was a great influence to Chandra Shekhar and he was totally spellbound by Acharya since the start of his political profession. From the year 1962 to 1967, Shekhar had a place with the Rajya Sabha. At the point when the Emergency was announced by Indira Gandhi, despite the fact that he was a Congress party member, he was captured and imprisoned in Patiala jail. His Padayatra in the year 1983 is still a matter of discussion among people. The main aim of this nationwide walk was to understand the nation in a better way. According to Chandra Shekhar, Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India, was all jittery due to his padyatra across the nation. He was known as the “Young Turk” for his conviction and valour in the battle against the personal stakes.
His stint with Congress
Chandra Shekhar was indeed one of the noticeable leaders of the communists. He assumed a crucial job in nationalization of banks. He also played a pivotal role in ending the right of “privy purse” being given to imperial families. In the year 1964, he joined Congress party. From the year 1962 to 1967, he was RajyaSabha’s member. He initially entered the Lok Sabha in the year 1967. Indeed he was one full of conviction no matter what happens. He was named as the “young Turk” and the other “young Turks”, who created the “ginger group” in the Congress party included pioneers like Feroze Gandhi, Mohan Dharia Satyendra Narayan Sinha, and Ram Dhan. These people were in the battle for egalitarian methodologies and policies.
Being the member of Congress Party, Chandra Shekhar intensely condemned Indira Gandhi for her announcement of State of Emergency in the year 1975. He was not scared of putting his thoughts forward. Chandra shekhar was captured during the emergency and was imprisoned alongside other “Young turks”. However,straightaway after the Emergency, he stepped out of the power structure and turned into the first and foremost President of the Janata Party, which was created in the year 1977 in the wake of electoral success that proclaimed the primary non-Congress government at the Centre.
His stint with Janata Party
He greatly despised the state of emergency which was initiated by the Congress leader and the then Prime Minister – Indira Gandhi and eventually this led him to join Janata Party as its President. In the parliamentary decisions, Janata Party performed really well and shaped the alliance government led by Morarji Desai. In the year 1988, his party converged with different parties and framed the administration under the leadership of V.P. Singh. Again his association with the alliance decayed and he framed another party, Janata Dal communist group. With the help of Congress headed by Rajiv Gandhi, he supplanted V.P. Singh as the Prime Minister of India in the year 1990.
After the year 1977, he was chosen to Lok Sabha through elections, with the exception of year 1984 when the Congress got a landslide victory after the assassination of Indira Gandhi. The rank of Prime Minister, which he assumed he really merited, evaded him in 1989 when V. P. Singh defeated him and was going as the principal of the alliance government at the Centre.
Chandrashekhar suspected that Singh and Devi Lal went into an agreement to deny him of the rank of Prime Ministership and utilized it against Singh at the stature of the post-Mandalagitation to break down his party and it led to the downfall of the government in the year 1990.
Ousting V. P. Singh
Chandra Shekhar grabbed the opportunity and left from the Janata Dal with his very own few supporters to shape the Samajwadi Janata Party or the Janata Dal Socialist party. With the help of his 64 MPs and the leader of the Opposition party Mr.Rajiv Gandhi, he won the confidence motion. He was confirmed as the Prime Minister.
His stint as Prime Minister
Chandra Shekhar served as the Prime Minister of India for only seven months. This is the second brief time frame after that of previous PM – Charan Singh. He likewise took care of the Defense and Home Affairs domain amid this period. His administration included preamble and battling of the Gulf War from 1990– 91. In any case, it couldn’t present a full budget since Congress pulled back help amid its formulation. Later, during the spring of the year 1991, the previous Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi chose to contest another election.It was then Chandra Shekhar surrendered the workplace of Prime Minister on the 6th of March 1991.
Post-premiership
Subsequent to giving the Premiership to P. V. Narasimha Rao, his political significance was decreased immensely. Despite the fact that he could hold his seat in the Lok Sabha for a long time a while later, even then his political importance was gone. He built up Bharat Yatra Centers in different parts of the nation and established a trust in Bhondsi town in Haryana’s Gurgaon to centre around the development of rural parts of the country development.
Demise
Chandra Shekhar kicked the bucket on 8thJuly 2007, seven days after his 80th birthday celebration. He had been languishing with various myeloma over some time and had been in New Delhi’s Apollo Hospital since May.
Lawmakers from over the range of Indian parties paid tribute to him and the administration of India announced a week for state mourning. He was incinerated with full state respects on a conventional burial service fire at Jannayaksthal, located on the banks of the Yamuna, on 10th of July. His ashes were submerged in the Siruvani in August.
Interesting Facts
- He is viewed as the pioneer of the voices of poor people. He was called as “Young Turk” due to his conviction and strength of character.
- His father – Sadanand Singh had two weddings. He was born from Durapatiwho was the second spouse of Devi Sadanand Singh.
- At 13 years of age, he was related with National Movements. He interacted with Arya Samaj at 13 years of age and joined various national movements. Amid his education time, he turned into a Socialist Party member and it included Youth Congress as well. From here on he passed the primary phase of legislative issues.
- Chandra shekhar got the chance to wind up a minister on numerous events, however he didn’t acknowledge it. Later in the year 1990-91, he turned into the Prime Minister of the nation. Previous Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was his economic counsel.
- He was the one main leader who, while being near to Indira in the Emergency, joined the counter government movement as he was not happy with her decision of Emergency. He was eventually imprisoned for the same.
- He used to have great relations with every one of the member of his party.
- He used to consider Atal Bihari Vajyapei as his Guruji.
