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Chaudhary Charan Singh (1902-1987) was an Indian agrarian intellectual and politician. Among the farmers he was known as “Chaudhary Sahib” and “Champion of Indian Peasants”. As a farmer’s son born in British India, he knew the plight of the Indian agrarian society. He was greatly influenced by Dayananda Saraswati and Mahatma Gandhi. He participated in the Indian independence movement led by Gandhi and fought against the austerity and prejudices prevalent in the society at that time, becoming a member of the Arya Samaj. He was the 5th Prime Minister of India. He also served as the 5th Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. Besides, he has held many key positions in the Union Government such as Deputy Prime Minister, Finance Minister, Home Minister and Agriculture Minister. He died in 1987 after a long illness.
Wiki/Biography
Chaudhary Charan Singh was born on Tuesday 23 December 1902 (aged 84 at time of death) in Nurpur, United Provinces, British India (now Uttar Pradesh, India). His zodiac sign is Capricorn. He completed his primary education at Jani Khurdi School. He was a brilliant student and wanted to study further, but his father could not finance his studies with his meager income. Charan’s uncle, Lakhpati Singh, who was in the Indian Army, believed in him and allowed him to further his studies. He went to Meerut to continue his studies. He completed his graduation from the Government High School, Meerut in 1919 and his secondary in 1921. After that, he joined Agra College, Agra, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1923. After graduation, he did a master’s degree in history (British, European, Indian) and then enrolled in BAngraut University College. His higher education was an achievement in itself as the overall literacy rate in India at that time was only 3.1%.
Charan Singh’s alma mater, Meerut College
Physical appearance
Height (approx): 5′7″
Hair color: gray
Eye Color: Black
family
parents and siblings
Charan Singh’s father, Mir Singh, was a tenant in Noorpur village. Reportedly, after the landlord reclaimed his land from Mir Singh, he moved to Boop Garhi in Meerut. A few years later, he bought a small plot of land in Bhadul village, Meerut and settled there permanently. Charan Singh’s mother, Netra Kaur, was a housewife; His parents were married in 1898. Charan Singh had 4 siblings, 2 brothers, Shyam Singh and Man Singh and 2 sisters, Ram Devi and Risalo Devi.
Charan Singh’s parents, Mir Singh and Netra Kaur
wife and children
Charan Singh married Gayatri Devi of Sonipat on 5th December 1925. Together they had 6 children, 5 daughters, Satyavati, Vedwat, Gyanwat, Saroj, Sharda and a son, Ajit Singh. His wife, Gayatri Devi, was elected to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly from the Iglasi (Aligarh) constituency in 1969 and from the Gokul constituency in 1974. He later became a member of the lower house of parliament from Kairana constituency. His son, Ajit Singh, carried his legacy forward and went on to hold many key ministries in the Union government. His grandson Jayant Chaudhary is also a politician.
Charan Singh (first from left in front row) with his wife and children
Religion/Religious Beliefs
Early in his life he was influenced by the Arya Samaj. According to Arya Samaj, true religion is truth, knowledge and moral life. So Charan Singh named his 3 children Satya, Ved and Gyan. He condemned the practice of religious rituals and idolatry.
Chaudhary Charan Singh (third row sixth from right) is with members of the Samaj
Caste
Charan Singh belonged to a Jat family of the ‘Teotia’ clan in the Rohilkhand region (now Uttar Pradesh) in the north-western part of the United Provinces. He was a strong supporter of social equality. To reveal this, he used to eat food prepared by Dalits during his college days. In an interview, he spoke about his views on the caste system and said:
After graduation I was offered the post of Vice Principal in Jatt High School, but there was a caste name there and I couldn’t get it. I have always been against this social system since childhood.
signature/autograph
Signature of Charan Singh
Career
Civil lawyer
Charan Singh, after completing his LLB, became a practicing advocate in the Ghaziabad Civil Court in 1928, which he continued till 1939.
politican
He joined the Indian National Congress in 1929. In 1930, he was elected as the Vice-Chairman of the Meerut District Council, but soon he was imprisoned for 6 months by the British administration for his participation in the Salt Satyagraha, led by Mahatma Gandhi. He was elected to the United Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh) Legislative Assembly in 1937 from Chaprauli (Baghpath, won 8 times from this seat). Soon he prepared many decisive bills to protect the interests of tenants and managed to pass several of them. Most important was the United Provinces Agricultural and Labor Debt Redemption Bill, which freed several farmers from the clutches of moneylenders. In 1948, Gobind Ballab Pant became the Prime Minister of Uttar Pradesh and he appointed Charan Singh as his Parliamentary Secretary.
Charan Singh (third from right) in Gobind Ballab Pant’s cabinet in 1948
While serving as Pant Secretary, he drafted the Zamindar Abolition and Land Reforms Bill, which became law on 24 January 1951. He considered it a milestone in his career. She said,
हिरिजन लोग, इस्दिवी लोग, ज़िजन लोग, इस्तिविस लोग या जिंके पास कम रोजगर है अवर अपन आसदी किसान जिन्के पास केवल 1 हैक्टेयर में…
Zamindar Abolition Act News HT
From 1951 to 1954, he held various posts in the Gobind Ballab Pant government, such as Minister of Justice and Information, Minister of Agriculture and Livestock and Minister of Revenue. When Sampoornaand became the Chief Minister of UP, he selected Charan Singh as Minister of Revenue, Irrigation and Power. He was Home Minister in the Chandra Bhanu government and Agriculture Minister in the Sucheta Kriplan government.
Charan Singh (far left front row) in Chandra Bhanu’s office
In 1967, he became the first non-Congress minister of Uttar Pradesh and formed a government in coalition with the Samyukta Vidhayak Dal, but it was short-lived. Later, he founded the Bharatiya Kranti Dal in 1968. In 1970, he won again and became the Prime Minister of the state for the second time, but again it lasted only for a few months.
In 1974, he founded the Bharatiya Lok Dal. On June 25, 1975, Charan Singh was arrested for the first time in independent India as Emergency was declared by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. He was released from prison in 1977 and helped form the Janata Party by merging the Bharatiya Lok Dal and the Janata Dal to challenge Indira Gandhi. In 1977, he was first elected to Lok Sabha from Baghpat constituency. Morarji Desai inducted him in his cabinet as Union Finance Minister and later as Home Minister.
Charan Singh (first from left) with Prime Minister Morarji Desai as Home Minister
After the resignation of Morarji Desai in 1979, Charan Singh became the Prime Minister of India, but 23 days after taking office, Indira Gandhi withdrew support from Charan Singh’s government before it could be approved by a majority in Parliament. He founded the Lok Dal in 1980 and the Dalit Mazdoor Kisan Party in 1984.
death
He died on May 29, 1987 after a long illness. He was cremated at Kishan Ghat, New Delhi, next to Mahatma Gandhi’s Samadhi.
Facts/Trivia
- Chaudhary Charan Singh’s birthday (December 23) is celebrated as Kisan Diwas in India.
- The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) instituted an award in his name, the Chaudhary Charan Singh Award in 2000. It is awarded annually for excellence in journalism in agricultural research and development. It has a cash award of Rs. 1,00,000 and a certificate.
- He became the first non-Congress CM of Uttar Pradesh.
- Two universities are named after him, Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut (earlier University of Meerut) and Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar (earlier Haryana Agricultural University).
- Amaus Airport near Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh was renamed in 2008 as Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport.
Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport Lucknow
- His memorial in Delhi is next to the Raj Ghat and is called “Kisan Ghat”.
Charan Singh Memorial Kisan Ghat
- After the Abolition of Zamindar and the Land Reforms Act, about 27,000 patwars resigned in protest. Chaudhary Charan Singh accepted their resignation without any hesitation but made no change in the act. He then recruited new Patwaris who came to be known as Lekhpals.
- He has written several books on agriculture, development and agriculture. Some of them are Land Reforms in UP and Kulaks, Abolition of Zamindar, Two Alternatives, Joint Farming X-Ray: The Problem and its Solution, Indian Poverty and its Solution, Indian Economic Policy – Gandhi’s Plan, India’s Economic Nightmare – Its Cause and Cure.
- His opponents often called him “Divisional Singh” because he kept switching sides. According to them, Charan Singh was only loyal to power. They even said that he was the mastermind behind ‘Aaya Ram Gaya Ram’ (party switching and political horse-trading).
Categories: Politics
Source: dienchau2.edu.vn
