Chandra Shekhar 'बाबूसाहेब' | |
|---|---|
 Shekhar on a 2010 postage stamp of India | |
| Prime Minister of India | |
| In office 10 November 1990 – 1 June 1991 | |
| President | Ramaswamy Venkataraman |
| Vice President | Shankar Dayal Sharma |
| Deputy | Devi Lal |
| Preceded by | V. P. Singh |
| Succeeded by | P. V. Narasimha Rao |
| Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha | |
| In office 3 April 1962 – 22 March 1977 | |
| Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha | |
| In office 2 December 1989 – 8 July 2007 | |
| Preceded by | Jagannath Chowdhary |
| Succeeded by | Neeraj Shekhar |
| Constituency | Ballia, Uttar Pradesh |
| In office 22 March 1977 – 31 October 1984 | |
| Preceded by | Chandrika Prasad |
| Succeeded by | Jagannath Chowdhary |
| Constituency | Ballia, Uttar Pradesh |
| President of theJanata Party | |
| In office 1977 (1977) – 1988 (1988) | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Ajit Singh |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1927-04-17)17 April 1927 |
| Died | 8 July 2007(2007-07-08) (aged 80) |
| Political party | Samajwadi Janata Party (Rashtriya) (1990–2007) |
| Other political affiliations |
|
| Spouse | Duja Devi |
| Children | 2 (includingNeeraj Shekhar) |
| Alma mater | Allahabad University (MA) |
| Signature |  |
| Monuments | Jannayak Sthal |
Chandra Shekhar (17 April 1927 – 8 July 2007), also known asJananayak, was an Indian politician and theprime minister of India, between 10 November 1990 and 21 June 1991. He headed a minority government of a breakaway faction of theJanata Dal with outside support from theIndian National Congress.[1] He was the second Indian Prime Minister who had never held any prior government office.[2][3][4]
His government was formed with the fewest partyMPs in theLok Sabha.[5][6] His government could not pass the budget[7] at a crucial time whenMoody's had downgraded India's credit rating, after Shekhar's government was unable to pass the budget, global credit-rating agencies further downgraded India from investment grade, making it impossible to even get short-term loans, and in no position to give any commitment to reform, theWorld Bank andIMF stopped their assistance. Shekhar had to authorise the mortgaging of gold to avoid default of payment, and this action came in for particular criticism, as it was done secretly in the midst of the election.[8][9][10] The1991 Indian economic crisis and theassassination of Rajiv Gandhi plunged his government into crisis.[11][12] Granting the permission for US military planes to refuel at Indian airports during theGulf War improved the Prime Minister's image with the West.[13][14]
Chandra Shekhar was born on 17 April 1927 in aRajput family atIbrahimpatti, a village in Ballia,Uttar Pradesh. He came from a farming background.[15][16][17] He was awarded a Bachelor of Arts (graduate) degree at Satish Chandra P.G. College. He attendedAllahabad University, obtaining his master's degree in political science in 1950.[18] He was known as a firebrand student leader in student politics and started his political career withRam Manohar Lohia. After completing his graduation, he became active in socialist politics.[19][20]
Chandra Shekhar marriedDuja Devi.[21] Duja Devi Degree College, founded in 1999 inBallia district,Uttar Pradesh, is named after her.[22]
He had two sons with her, Pankaj Shekhar andNeeraj Shekhar.
He joined the socialist movement and was elected secretary of the districtPraja Socialist Party (PSP), Ballia. Within a year, he was elected joint secretary of the PSP's State unit in Uttar Pradesh. In 1955–56, he took over as general secretary of the party in the State. His career as a parliamentarian began with his election to the Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh in 1962. He came under the spell ofAcharya Narendra Dev, a fiery Socialist leader at the beginning of his political career. From 1962 to 1977, Shekhar was a member ofRajya Sabha, the Upper house of theParliament of India. He was elected toRajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh on 3 April 1962 as an independent candidate and completed his tenure on 2 April 1968. After this, he was re-elected twice toRajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh as an INC candidate from 3 April 1968 to 2 April 1974 and from 3 April 1974 to 2 April 1980. He resigned fromRajya Sabha on 2 March 1977 after he had been elected toLok Sabha fromBallia. When theemergency was declared, even though he was a Congress party politician, he was arrested and sent toPatiala jail.[23]
Chandra Shekhar was a prominent leader of the socialists. He joinedCongress in 1964. From 1962 to 1967, he was a member of theRajya Sabha. He first entered theLok Sabha in 1977. He came to be known as a 'young Turk' for his conviction and courage in the fight against the vested interests. The other 'young Turks', who formed the 'ginger group' in the Congress in the fight for egalitarian policies, included[24] leaders likeFeroze Gandhi,Satyendra Narayan Sinha,Mohan Dharia andRam Dhan. As a member of the Congress Party, he vehemently criticised Indira Gandhi for her declaration of emergency in 1975. Chandrashekhar was arrested during the emergency and sent to prison along with other "young turks".[25]
Chandra Shekhar went on a nationwidepadayatra in 1983 from Kanyakumari to New Delhi,[26] to know the country better, which he claimed gave jitters to Prime MinisterIndira Gandhi.[27] He was called a "Young Turk".[28] He travelled nearly 4,260 km and nearly six months.[29][30] Chandra Shekhar started his Bharat Yatra fromKanyakumari on 6, the same day that his party,Janata Party was swept to power inKarnataka.[31] He finished his march atRajghat in New Delhi on 25 June, the eighth anniversary of the declaration of theEmergency and also the day India won theCricket World Cup.[32]
Chandra Shekhar established Bharat Yatra Centres in various parts of the country and set up a Bharat Yatra Trust inBhondsi village in Haryana's Gurgaon to focus on rural development.[33][34] "Bharat Yatra Kendra" "Bhondsi ashram" was set up by the Chandra Shekhar in 1983 on 600 acre ofpanchayat land,[35] where godmanChandraswami and godman's associateAdnan Khashoggi (a Saudi Arabian billionaire international arms dealer embroiled in various scandals) use to visit him.[36][37][38] Before 2002, some of the government land of the ashram was taken back by theGovernment of Haryana on the instructions of then Chief MinisterOm Prakash Chautala (in office 1989–91 and 1999–2004).[39] In 2002,Supreme Court of India returned most of the land, barring some land, to the Bhondsigram panchayat.[40]
Chandrasekhar was jailed during the emergency and after, he became the President ofJanata Party. In the parliamentary elections,Janata Party formed the government after the1977 Indian general election headed byMorarji Desai. However the party lost the 1980 elections and were routed in1984 Indian general election winning just 10 seats and Chandrasekhar losing his ownBallia seat toJagannath Chowdhary.[41]
In May 1988, he resigned fromJanata Party's President post whenLok Dal (A) was merged withJanata Party.Ajit Singh was made president ofJanata Party.[42][43]George Fernandes,Biju Patnaik,Madhu Dandavate andRamakrishna Hegde opposed this merger withLok Dal (A) butSubramanian Swamy,Yashwant Sinha andSuryadeo Singh supported this move.[44]
In 1988, his party merged with other parties and formed the government under the leadership ofV.P. Singh. Again his relationship with the coalition deteriorated and he formed another party,Janata Dal (Socialist) faction. With the support of Congress (I) headed byRajiv Gandhi, he replaced V.P. Singh as the Prime Minister of India in November 1990. After 1977, he was elected to Lok Sabha in all the elections, except in 1984 when the Congress swept the polls after Indira Gandhi's assassination. The post of Prime Minister, which he thought he genuinely deserved, eluded him in 1989 when V. P. Singh pipped him at the post and was chosen to head the first coalition government at the centre.
Chandra Shekhar seized the moment and left the Janata Dal with several of his own supporters to form theSamajwadi Janata Party/Janata Dal (Socialist).[45] He won a confidence motion with the support of his 64 MPs andRajiv Gandhi, the leader of the Opposition, and was sworn in as Prime Minister.[46] Eight Janata Dal MPs who voted for this motion were disqualified by the speakerRabi Ray.[47][48]
Chandra Shekhar was a member of Rajya Sabha from 1962 to 1977, 1962 to 1968 as an independent supported by Socialist Party and later as member of Congress. He was jailed during the Emergency. After his release from jail in 1977, he joined Janata Party. He was elected to Lok Sabha fromBallia as a member of various incarnations of Janata Party in 1977, 1980, 1989, 1991, 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2004. He lost that seat only once in that span, in 1984 election. After his death, his son Neeraj Shekhar won the ensuing by-poll in 2008.
Chandra Shekhar remained theMinister of Information and Broadcasting from 21 November 1990 to 21 June 1991 fromSamajwadi Janata Party (Rashtriya) and at that time he was himself the Prime Minister of India.[49] He was preceded byV. P. Singh and succeeded byP. V. Narasimha Rao to the position after he resigned from the position of Prime Minister due to loss of support of the alliances.[50]
Like the Minister of I and B, he remainedMinister of Home Affairs for the time period of 7 months. He was himself the Prime Minister at that time and was preceded byMufti Mohammad Sayeed and succeeded byShankarrao Chavan ofIndian National Congress.[51]
Along withMinistry of Home Affairs andInformation and Broadcasting, he also handledMinistry of Defence under him as thePrime Minister of India. He was Minister of Defence for a very short time of 7 months and didn't present the Defence budget.[52] He was preceded byV. P. Singh and succeeded byP. V. Narasimha Rao as the Minister of Defence.[53]
Chandra Shekhar was prime minister for seven months, the second shortest period after that ofCharan Singh.Subramanian Swamy was instrumental in forming this government with the support of Congress.[13] He also handled the portfolios of Defence and Home Affairs during this period. However, his government could not introduce a full budget because on 6 March 1991 Congress withdrew support during its formulation.[52] As a result, Chandra Shekhar resigned the office of the prime minister after 15 days on 21 March.[55]
Manmohan Singh was his Economic Advisor.[56]Subramanian Swamy along withManmohan Singh andMontek Singh Ahluwalia prepared a series of documents on economic liberalization but could not pass in parliament because Congress withdrew support.[57]Jairam Ramesh in his bookTo the Brink and Back: India's 1991 Story has written that "Chandrashekhar's Cabinet Committee on Trade and Investment (CCTI) itself had on 11 March 1991 approved the new export strategy which contained the main elements of the 4 July package".[58]
After handing thepremiership toP. V. Narasimha Rao, Chandra Shekar's political importance was reduced, although he was able to retain his seat in the Lok Sabha for many years afterward.
| Year | Constituency | Party | Votes | % | Opponent | Opponent Party | Opponent Votes | % | Result | Margin | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Ballia | SJP(R) | 270,136 | 43.6 | Kapildeo Yadav | BSP | 189,082 | 30.5 | Won | 81,054 | 13.1 | ||
| 1999 | 235,946 | 38.1 | Ram Krishna Gopal | BJP | 180,271 | 29.1 | Won | 55,675 | 9 | ||||
| 1998 | 260,544 | 40.5 | 231,060 | 36 | Won | 29,484 | 4.5 | ||||||
| 1996 | 305,592 | 56.4 | Jagannath Chowdhary | INC | 118,987 | 22 | Won | 186,605 | 34.4 | ||||
| 1991 | 213,066 | 44.7 | 154,518 | 32.4 | Won | 58,548 | 12.3 | ||||||
| 1989 | JD | 251,997 | 52.53 | 161,016 | 33.57 | Won | 90,981 | 18.96 | |||||
| 1984 | JP | 172,044 | 40.04 | 225,984 | 52.6 | Lost | -53,940 | -12.56 | |||||
| 1980 | 159,901 | 41.37 | INC(I) | 136,313 | 35.27 | Won | 23,588 | 6.1 | |||||
| 1977 | 262,641 | 72.42 | Chandrika Prasad | INC | 95,432 | 26.31 | Won | 167,209 | 46.11 | ||||
| Position | Party | Constituency | From | To | Tenure | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha (1st Term) | PSP | Uttar Pradesh | 3 April 1962 | 2 April 1968 | 5 years, 365 days | |
| Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha (2nd Term) | INC | 3 April 1968 | 2 April 1974 | 5 years, 364 days | ||
| Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha (3rd Term) | Ind. | 3 April 1974 | 2 April 1980 | 2 years, 353 days (Elected to Lok Sabha on 22 March 1977) | ||
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Chandra Shekhar died on 8 July 2007. He had been suffering withmultiple myeloma for some time and had been in theApollo Hospital at New Delhi since May. He was survived by two sons.[59]
Politicians from across the spectrum of Indian parties paid tribute to him[60] and the government of India declared seven days of state mourning.[59] He was cremated with full state honours on a traditionalfuneral pyre atJannayak Sthal,[61] on the banks of the riverYamuna, on 10 July.[62] In August, his ashes were immersed in the riverSiruvani.[63]
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 2004 | Re-elected to 14th Lok Sabha (8th term) |
| 2000–2001 | Chairman, Committee on Ethics |
| 1999 | Re-elected to 13th Lok Sabha (7th term) |
| 1998 | Re-elected to 12th Lok Sabha (6th term) |
| 1996 | Re-elected to 11th Lok Sabha (5th term) |
| 1991 | Re-elected to 10th Lok Sabha (4th term) |
| 1990–91 | Prime Minister and in charge of various Ministries/Departments including
|
| 1989 | Re-elected to 9th Lok Sabha (3rd term) |
| 1980 | Re-elected to 7th Lok Sabha (2nd term) |
| 1977–78 | President, Janata Party (J.P.) |
| 1977 | Elected to 6th Lok Sabha |
| 1967 | General Secretary, Congress Parliamentary Party (C.P.P.) |
| 1962 | Member, Rajya Sabha |
| 1959–62 | Member, National Executive, P.S.P. |
| 1955 | General Secretary, P.S.P., Uttar Pradesh |
| 1952 | Joint Secretary, P.S.P., Uttar Pradesh |
| 1951 | Secretary, Praja Socialist Party (P.S.P.), Distt. Ballia |
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| Preceded by | Minister of Home Affairs 1990–91 | Succeeded by |
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