Manmohan Singh

Manmohan Singh Date of Birth : Sep 26, 1932 Date of Death : - Place of Birth : West Punjab Political party : Indian National Congress Took Office : May 22, 2004 Left Office : - Successor : -		Prime Ministers of India •  Jawaharlal Nehru •  Gulzari Lal Nanda •  Lal Bahadur Shastri •  Indira Gandhi •  Morarji Desai •  Chowdhary Charan Singh •  Rajiv Gandhi •  Shri. V.P. Singh •  Shri Chandra Shekhar •  Shri P. V. Narasimha Rao •  Shri H. D. Deve Gowda •  I .K.Gujral •  Atal Bihari Vajpayee •  Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh, best known as ' father of Indian Reforms', has emerged as the Congress party's frontrunner, the 14th Prime Minister of India and also the first Sikh to have reached the country's top legislative position. Hailed to be the cleanest man in Indian politics, he was Former Finance Minister and author of the post-1991 economic reforms. He was Born to Mr Gurmukh Singh and Mrs Gursharan Kaur on September 26, 1932 in a small village Gah (West Punjab), now in Pakistan. A brilliant student, Manmohan Singh secured top marks in almost all the major examinations he wrote. After his Masters in Economics from Amritsar's Hindu College under Punjab University he won scholarships to Cambridge and Oxford, earning a doctorate with a thesis on the critical role of exports and free trade in India's economy. Manmohan Singh won the prestigious Adam Smith prize in 1956 from Cambridge University. The following year, he returned to India as a university lecturer and for the next nine years remained at Punjab University before being posted for international duty with UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development). He then joined the Delhi School of Economics as a professor. Two years later, his academic career was cut short and he joined the government to serve in various capacities. Singh held several positions throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. He served as Economic advisor to the finance ministry in the late 70s, Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission and Chairman of University Grants Commission in 1980s and early 1990's and as the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India from 1982 to 1985 etc. An academician, he was discovered by former prime minister Shri. P.V Narasimha Rao. Rao offered him the finance ministry in 1991 under the Congress Government, and the chance to rescue a sickly economy threatened by an acute balance of payments crisis. During his stint as the finance minister (1991-1996), the suave, soft-spoken Sikh guided India out of financial trouble and put the country on course to becoming an economic power by opening up the economy to foreign investment and slashing trade barriers. Singh was always an unlikely politician, who was routed in a parliamentary election in 1999. In fact, he has never won an election and sits in the upper house. Politically, Manmohan Singh is the classic example of the stateless politician. The 71 year old prime minister is married to Gursharan Kaur, they have three daughters.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Atal Bihari Vajpayee Date of Birth : Dec 25, 1924 Date of Death : - Place of Birth : Gwalior Political party : BJP Took Office : Mar 19, 1998 Left Office : May 22, 2004 Successor : Dr. Manmohan Singh		Prime Ministers of India •  Jawaharlal Nehru •  Gulzari Lal Nanda •  Lal Bahadur Shastri •  Indira Gandhi •  Morarji Desai •  Chowdhary Charan Singh •  Rajiv Gandhi •  Shri. V.P. Singh •  Shri Chandra Shekhar •  Shri P. V. Narasimha Rao •  Shri H. D. Deve Gowda •  I .K.Gujral •  Atal Bihari Vajpayee •  Manmohan Singh
Shri. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the ex Prime Minister of India, is a multi faceted political personality. He was born on 25th December 1924, at Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh to parents Krishna Bihari Vajpayee, a school teacher and Krishna Devi. He was educated at Victoria alias Laxmibai College, Gwalior and D.A.V. College, Kanpur and holds a Postgraduate degree in Political Science. Shri Vajpayee's first brush with nationalist politics was in his student days, when he joined the Quit India Movement of 1942 which hastened the end of British colonial rule. A student of political science and law, it was in college that he developed a keen interest in foreign affairs, an interest he has nourished over the years and put to skilful use while representing India at various multilateral and bilateral foray. For a while he studied law, but midstream he chose to become a journalist. This choice was largely influenced by the fact that as a student he had been an activist in India's struggle for freedom. Shri Vajpayee had embarked upon a journalist's career, which was cut short in 1951 when he joined Bharatiya Jana Sangh. As a founder-member of the Jana Sangh, 1951-1977 (now known as Bharatiya Janatha Party) he served as the party's president and took it to new heights. He served as the BJP's president for the first five years of its existence, laying the foundation for the party's awesome growth in the last one decade. As a parliamentarian, he has been elected to the Lok Sabha nine times and to the Rajya Sabha twice. He is the only parliamentarian elected from four different States at different times namely UP, Gujarat, MP and Delhi. He served as External Affairs Minister in the Morarji Desai Government from 1977 to 1979. He was elected to various positions including Prime Minister and Leader of Opposition (1993), Lok Sabha; Chairperson of a number of parliamentary committees. He served as Prime Minister for a short stint in 1996. Later on March 19, 1998, he took charge as Prime Minister of India and again on October 13, 1999 for the second consecutive term as the head of a new coalition government, the National Democratic Alliance. He is the only Prime Minister since Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru to have become Prime Minister of India through three successive mandates. Apart from politics, Shri Vajpayee has participated in various social and cultural activities. The Krishna Bihari Vajpayee Trust set up by him in the name of his late father promotes a number of constructive activities for the uplift of the deprived and poor as well as children. He has been a Member of the National Integration Council since 1961. Some of his other associations include being President of All India Station Masters and Assistant Station Masters Association (1965-70); Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Smarak Samiti (1968-84); Deen Dayal Dham, Farah, Mathura, U.P; and Janmabhomi Smarak Samiti, 1969 onwards. Vajpayee has many literary and artistic accomplishments to his credit. Well known and respected for his love for poetry and as an eloquent speaker, Shri Vajpayee is known to be a voracious reader. He edited Rashtradharma (a Hindi monthly), Panchjanya (a Hindi weekly) and the dailies Swadesh and Veer Arjun. His published works include 'Meri Ikkyavan Kavitayen' and 'Amar Aag Hai' (collection of poems), 'Sankalp Kaal', 'Shakti-se-Shanti', 'Meri Sansadiya Yatra' (in four volumes), 'Four Decades in Parliament' (speeches (1957-95) in three volumes), 'Lok Sabha mein Atalji' (a collection of speeches); 'Mrityu Ya Hatya', 'Amar Balidan', 'Kaidi Kaviraj Ki Kundalian' (a collection of poems written in jail during Emergency), 'New Dimensions of India's Foreign Policy' (a collection of speeches delivered as External Affairs Minister during 1977-79); 'Jan Sangh Aur Mussalman' etc .'Baapji' as affectionately called by his close friends and relatives is a family man. He finds time to spend with his adopted daughters Namita and Neharika in between his hectic schedules. He is fond of Indian music and dance. He loves nature and one of his favorite retreats is Manali in Himachal Pradesh. India's second highest civilian honour, the Padma Vibhushan, was conferred upon him in 1992 in recognition of his selfless dedication to his first and only love, India, and his more than half-a-century of service to society and the nation. In 1994, he was named India's 'Best Parliamentarian'. Over the decades, he has emerged as a national leader who has mass appeal and commands respect for his liberal worldview and commitment to democratic ideals.

I.K.Gujral

I.K.Gujral Date of Birth : Dec 4, 1919 Date of Death : - Place of Birth : Punjab Political party : Janata Dal Took Office : Apr 21, 1997 Left Office : Mar 19, 1998 Successor : Atal Behari Vajpayee		Prime Ministers of India •  Jawaharlal Nehru •  Gulzari Lal Nanda •  Lal Bahadur Shastri •  Indira Gandhi •  Morarji Desai •  Chowdhary Charan Singh •  Rajiv Gandhi •  Shri. V.P. Singh •  Shri Chandra Shekhar •  Shri P. V. Narasimha Rao •  Shri H. D. Deve Gowda •  I .K.Gujral •  Atal Bihari Vajpayee •  Manmohan Singh
He was born in 1919. Formerly in Union Cabinet from 67 - 76 and 89 - 90. Minister of External Affairs (89-90, 96-97), Ambassador to USSR (76 - 80).

Shri H. D. Deve Gowda

Shri H. D. Deve Gowda Date of Birth : May 18, 1933 Date of Death : - Place of Birth : Karnataka Political party : United Front Took Office : Jun 1, 1996 Left Office : Apr 21, 1997 Successor : Inder Kumar Gujral		Prime Ministers of India •  Jawaharlal Nehru •  Gulzari Lal Nanda •  Lal Bahadur Shastri •  Indira Gandhi •  Morarji Desai •  Chowdhary Charan Singh •  Rajiv Gandhi •  Shri. V.P. Singh •  Shri Chandra Shekhar •  Shri P. V. Narasimha Rao •  Shri H. D. Deve Gowda •  I .K.Gujral •  Atal Bihari Vajpayee •  Manmohan Singh
Shri H. D. Deve Gowda, a staunch crusader of socio-economic development and an ardent admirer of the rich cultural heritage of India, was born on May 18, 1933 in Haradanahalli village of Holenarasipura taluk, Hassan District in Karnataka. A Civil Engineering Diploma holder, Shri Deve Gowda plunged into active politics at the early age of 20 when, after completing his education, he joined the Congress Party in 1953 and remained a member till 1962. Coming from a middle class agrarian background and exposed to the hardships of farmer's life, young Gowda vowed to become a fighter who would take up the cause of poor farmers, under privileged and oppressed sections of society. Starting from lower strata of the democratic set-up, Shri Gowda ascended the political rungs gradually. He earned himself a niche in the minds of people while serving as the President of Anjaneya Co-operative Society and later as a member of Taluk Development Board, Holenarasipura. Hoping to set right the inequalities prevailing in society, he always dreamt of an ideal utopian State. When just 28 years old, the youthful Gowda contested as an Independent and was a runaway success from day one when he first became a member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly in 1962. An effective Speaker on the floor of the Assembly, he was acclaimed by one and all, including his seniors. Holenarasipur constituency sent him to the Assembly for three more consecutive terms i.e., the Fourth (1967-71); the Fifth (1972-77) and the Sixth (1978-83) Assemblies. His service as the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, from March 1972 to March 1976 and November 1976 to December 1977, won him laurels. Shri Deve Gowda resigned his membership of the Sixth Assembly on November 22, 1982. As a member of the Seventh and the Eighth Assembly, he served as the Minister of Public Works and Irrigation. His tenure as Irrigation Minister saw the switching on of many irrigation projects. He resigned from the Cabinet in 1987 protesting against insufficient allocation of funds for Irrigation. A crusader for freedom and equality, he earned the wrath of the powers that be at the Centre in 1975-76, and was imprisoned during the days of emergency. Shri Deve Gowda utilised this period of forced rest to enrich his knowledge through exhaustive reading. This, and the interaction between him and other stalwarts of Indian politics who were also jailed during that period, helped him mould his personality and perspective. He was a much more seasoned and determined person when he emerged out of his confinement. Elected to Parliament from Hassan Lok Sabha constituency in 1991, he was instrumental in bringing the problems of the State - especially of farmers - to the forefront. He earned respect for his forthright espousal of the plight of farmers, in Parliament. He also earned a name for practicing and upholding the prestige and dignity and Parliament and its institutions. Shri Deve Gowda became the President of Janta party twice at State level and President of State Janata Dal in 1994. He was the driving force behind the Janata Dal's rise to power in the State in 1994. He was elected as the leader of the Janata Dal Legislative Party and on December 11, 1994 he assumed office as the 14th Chief Minister of Karnataka. He then contested as a candidate from Ramanagar Assembly constituency and won by a thumping majority. His prolonged experience in active politics and his strong base at the grassroots level enabled him to plunge straightway into the task of tackling many problems faced by the State. His political acumen was tested again when he brought the Idgah Maidan issue at Hubli to the forefront. It was a ground that belonged to the minority community and was the butt of political controversy. Shri Gowda successfully brought about a peaceful solution to the issue. In January 1995, Shri Gowda toured Switzerland and attended the Forum of International Economists. His tours to European and Middle Eastern countries were a testimony to his achievements as a dedicated politician. His tour to Singapore, which brought in the much needed foreign investment to the State, proved his business acumen. Since the 70s, friends as well as foes have been commenting on his singular pre-occupation with politics and its processes. His politics, says Shri Gowda, is the politics of the people and he is happy when he is surrounded by people and is doing something for them. Shri Gowda is known for giving patient hearing to all shades of opinions and is equally at home with the elite when they come calling. Affectionately called the 'son of the soil' (dharti ke lal), he has proved to be one of the most ardent supporters of liberalisation with a human face. In 1989, his group of the Janata Party fared poorly in Karnataka winning just 2 of the 222 Assembly seats it contested; Shri Gowda himself tasting defeat for the first time in his career losing in both constituencies he contested. He is therefore, no stranger to the fickleness of political fortunes. The defeat lent a sharper edge to his pursuit to regain lost honour and power, and spurred him to re-examine his own style of politics. He made friends in Karnataka and Delhi, and put aside his bitter feuds with political rivals. Shri Gowda is a person with a life style that is simple, a profile that is low, but assertive and effective. Before his political initiation, Shri Gowda had been a contractor taking up minor works. The seven years that he spent as an Independent helped him observe party politics from outside. Ever a workaholic, he was always seen engrossed with books and periodicals in the legislature library. His re-election in 1967 gave him more confidence and in 1969 when the Congress split, he joined the Congress (O) headed by Shri Nijalingappa, which was in power in Karnataka then. But Shri Gowda's big chance came after the rout of Congress (O) in the 1971 Lok Sabha elections. He emerged the leader of a truncated opposition hit by the Indira Gandhi wave. Born to Shri Dodde Gowda and Smt. Devamma, Shri Deve Gowda is proud of his simple agricultural background. Married to Smt. Chennamma, the couple have four sons and two daughters. One of the sons is an MLA in Karnataka and another one was elected to the Lok Sabha. The leadership of the Third Front (a group of regional parties and Non-Congress and Non-BJP combine) leading to Prime Ministership - came to Shri Gowda without him seriously aspiring for it. Shri Deve Gowda resigned as the Chief Minister of Karnataka on May 30, 1996 to be sworn in as the 11th Prime Minister of India.

Shri P. V. Narasimha Rao

Shri P. V. Narasimha Rao Date of Birth : Jun 28, 1921 Date of Death : Dec 23, 2004 Place of Birth : Andhra Pradesh Political party : Congress (I) Took Office : Jun 21, 1991 Left Office : May 16, 1996 Successor : Atal Behari Vajpayee		Prime Ministers of India •  Jawaharlal Nehru •  Gulzari Lal Nanda •  Lal Bahadur Shastri •  Indira Gandhi •  Morarji Desai •  Chowdhary Charan Singh •  Rajiv Gandhi •  Shri. V.P. Singh •  Shri Chandra Shekhar •  Shri P. V. Narasimha Rao •  Shri H. D. Deve Gowda •  I .K.Gujral •  Atal Bihari Vajpayee •  Manmohan Singh
Son of Shri P. Ranga Rao, Shri P.V. Narasimha Rao was born on June 28, 1921 at Karimnagar. He studied in Osmania University, Hyderabad, Bombay University and the Nagpur University. A widower, Shri P.V. Narasimha Rao is the father of three sons and five daughters. Being an agriculturist and an advocate, he joined politics and held some important portfolios. He was the Minister of Law and Information, 1962-64; Law and Endowments, 1964-67; Health and Medicine, 1967 and Education, 1968-71, Government of Andhra Pradesh. He was the Chief Minister, Andhra Pradesh, 1971-73; General Secretary, All India Congress Committee, 1975-76; Chairman, Telugu Academy, Andhra Pradesh, 1968-74; Vice-President, Dakshin Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha, Madras, from 1972. He was also Member, Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly, 1957-77; Member, Lok Sabha 1977-84 and was elected to Eighth Lok Sabha from Ramtek in December, 1984. As Chairman, Public Accounts Committee, 1978-79 he participated in a Conference on South Asia convened by the School of Asian and African Studies, London University. Shri Rao also Chaired Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan's Andhra Centre; he was Minister for External Affairs from January 14, 1980 to July 18, 1984; Minister of Home Affairs from July 19, 1984 to December 31, 1984 and the Minister of Defence from December 31, 1984 to September 25, 1985. He then assumed charge as Minister of Human Resource Development on September 25, 1985. A man of many interests, he likes music, cinema and theatre. His special interest lies in Indian philosophy and culture, writing fiction and political commentary, learning languages, writing poems in Telugu and Hindi and keeping abreast of literature in general. He has successfully published 'SahasraPhan', a Hindi translation of late Shri Viswanatha Satyanarayana's famous Telegu Novel 'Veyi Padagalu' published by Jnanpith; 'Abala Jeevitam', Telugu translation of late Shri Hari Narayan Apte's famous Marathi Novel, "Pan Lakshat Kon gheto", published by Central Sahitya Academy. He translated other famous works from Marathi to Telugu and from Telugu to Hindi, and published many articles in different magazines mostly under a pen name. He lectured at Universities in the U.S.A. and West Germany on political matters and allied subjects. As Minister of External Affairs he travelled extensively to U.K., West Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Egypt in 1974. During the period when he was Minister of External Affairs, Shri Rao successfully brought to bear his scholarly background and rich political and administrative experience on the field of international diplomacy. He chaired the III Conference of UNIDO at New Delhi in January 1980, within a few days of assuming charge. He also chaired a meeting of the Group of 77 at New York in March 1980. More recently, his role at the Conference of Foreign Ministers of Non-aligned Countries in February 1981 earned him wide appreciation. Shri Rao has shown keen personal interest in international economic issues and personally led the Indian delegation to the Conference of the Group of 77 on ECDC at Caracas, in May 1981. 1982 and 1983 were eventful years for India and its foreign policy. In the shadow of the Gulf war the Non-aligned Movement asked India to host the Seventh Summit. This also meant India assuming the Chair of the Movement and Smt. Indira Gandhi becoming its Chairperson. Shri P.V. Narasimha Rao presided over meetings of Foreign Ministers of Non-aligned Nations on the eve of the New Delhi Summit and also at the United Nations both in 1982, when India was asked to host the Summit and the following year when, at the initiative of the Movement, informal consultations amongst Heads of State and Government from diverse nations across the world were held at New York. Shri Rao was also the Leader of the Special Non-aligned Mission that visited countries in West Asia in November 1983, in an effort to resolve the Palestian Liberation Organisation. Shri Rao was associated actively with the Commonwealth Heads of Government in New Delhi and with the Action Group set up by the meeting on the question of Cyprus. In his capacity as Minister of External Affairs, Shri Narasimha Rao has chaired on behalf of India a number of Joint Commissions including those with the U.S.A., U.S.S.R., Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Vietnam, Tanzania and Guyana. Shri Narasimha Rao took over as Home Minister on July 19, 1984. He was re-appointed to this post, with the additional charge of the Ministry of Planning, on November 5, 1984. Appointed Minister of Defence from December 31, 1984 to September 25, 1985. On September 25,1985 he took over as Minister of Human Resource Development.

Shri Chandra Shekhar

Shri Chandra Shekhar Date of Birth : Jul 1, 1927 Date of Death : - Place of Birth : Uttar Pradesh Political party : Janata Party Took Office : Nov 10, 1990 Left Office : Jun 21, 1991 Successor : P. V. Narasimha Rao		Prime Ministers of India •  Jawaharlal Nehru •  Gulzari Lal Nanda •  Lal Bahadur Shastri •  Indira Gandhi •  Morarji Desai •  Chowdhary Charan Singh •  Rajiv Gandhi •  Shri. V.P. Singh •  Shri Chandra Shekhar •  Shri P. V. Narasimha Rao •  Shri H. D. Deve Gowda •  I .K.Gujral •  Atal Bihari Vajpayee •  Manmohan Singh
Shri Chandra Shekhar was born on July 1, 1927, in a farmer's family in village Ibrahimpatti in District Ballia, Uttar Pradesh. He was President of the Janata Party from 1977 to 1988. Shri Chandra Shekhar was attracted to politics from his student days and was known as a fire-brand idealist with revolutionary fervour. After his Master's Degree in Political Science from Allahabad University (1950-51), he joined the Socialist Movement. He had the privilege of having been associated very closely with Acharya Narendra Dev. He was elected Secretary of the District Praja Socialist Party, Ballia. Within a year, he was elected Joint Secretary of the U.P. State Praja Socialist Party. In 1955-56 he took over as General Secretary of the U.P., State Praja Socialist Party. In 1962, he was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh. He joined the Indian National Congress in January 1965. In 1967 he was elected General Secretary of the Congress Parliamentary Party. As a Member of Parliament he made a mark by taking keen interest in espousing the cause of the downtrodden and pleading for policies for rapid social change. In this context, when he attacked the disproportionate growth of monopoly houses with State patronage, he came in conflict with the centres of power. He came to be as 'Young Turk' leader for his conviction, courage and integrity in the fight against vested interested. He founded and edited YOUNG INDIAN, a weekly published from Delhi in 1969. Its editorial had the distinction of being among the most quoted ones of the time. During the Emergency (June 1975 to March 1977) YOUNG INDIAN had to be closed down. It resumed regular publication in February 1989. He is the Chairman of its Editorial Advisory Board. Shri Chandra Sekhar has always stood against politics of personalities and has favoured politics of ideology and social change. This propelled him more towards Shri Jayaprakash Narayan and his idealist view of life during the turbulent days of 1973-75. He soon became a focal point of dissent within the Congress Party. When Emergency was declared on June 25, 1975, he was arrested under Maintenance of Internal Security Act inspite of the fact that he was a member of the Central Election Committee and Working Committee, top bodies of the Indian National Congress. Shri Chandra Sekhar was among the few individuals in the then ruling party who was imprisoned during the Emergency. He has always rejected the politics of power and opted for the politics of commitment to democratic values and social change. His diary, written in Hindi while undergoing imprisonment during the Emergency period, was later published under the title 'Meri Jail Diary'. A well-known compilation of his writings is 'Dynamics of Social Change'. Shri Chandra Shekhar undertook a marathon walk (Padayatra) through the country from Kanyakumari in the deep South to Rajghat (Samadhi of Mahatma Gandhi) in New Delhi covering a distance of nearly 4260 kms from January 6, 1983 to June 25, 1983. The Padayatra was undertaken to renew rapport with the masses and to understand their pressing problems. He has established about fifteen Bharat Yatra Centres in various parts of the country including Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to train social and political workers for mass education and grassroot work in backward pockets of the country. He has been a Member of Parliament since 1962 except for a brief period from 1984 to 1989. In 1989 he successfully contested both from his home constituency, Ballia, and the adjoining Maharajganj constituency in Bihar. He vacated the latter. Shri Chandra Sekhar is married to Smt. Duja Devi and has two sons, Pankaj and Neeraj.

Shri. V.P. Singh

Shri. V.P. Singh Date of Birth : Jun 25, 1931 Date of Death : - Place of Birth : Allahabad Political party : - Took Office : - Left Office : - Successor : -		Prime Ministers of India •  Jawaharlal Nehru •  Gulzari Lal Nanda •  Lal Bahadur Shastri •  Indira Gandhi •  Morarji Desai •  Chowdhary Charan Singh •  Rajiv Gandhi •  Shri. V.P. Singh •  Shri Chandra Shekhar •  Shri P. V. Narasimha Rao •  Shri H. D. Deve Gowda •  I .K.Gujral •  Atal Bihari Vajpayee •  Manmohan Singh
Born on June 25, 1931 at Allahabad, Shri V.P. Singh is the son of Raja Bahadur Ram Gopal Singh. He was educated at Allahabad and Poona Universities. He was married to Smt. Sita Kumari on June 25, 1955 and has two sons. A scholarly man, he was the proud founder of Gopal Vidyalaya, Intermediate College, Koraon, Allahabad. He was the President of the Students Union at Udai Pratap College, Varanasi in 1947-48 and was the Vice-President, Allahabad University Students Union. He actively participated in Bhoodan movement in 1957 and donated a well-established farm in village Pasna, District Allahabad. He was the member of All India Congress Committee; Executive Body, Allahabad University, 1969-71 and Legislative Assembly, Uttar Pradesh 1969-71. He was the Whip, Congress Legislative Party, 1970-71; Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha), 1971-74; Union Deputy Minister of Commerce, October 1974-November 1976; Union State Minister of Commerce, November 1976-March 1977; Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha), January 3-July 26,1980. He was the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, June 9, 1980- June 28, 1982; Member, Legislative Council, Uttar Pradesh, November 21, 1980-June 14,1981; Member Legislative Assembly, Uttar Pradesh, June 15, 1981-July 16, 1983. As a Union Minister of Commerce in January 29,1983, he also held additional charge of the Department of Supply in February 15,1983. He was the Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) in July 16, 1983; on September 1, 1984 he was elected President, Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee and on December 31, 1984 he became the Union Finance Minister.

Rajiv Gandhi

Rajiv Gandhi Date of Birth : Aug 20, 1944 Date of Death : May 21, 1991 Place of Birth : Mumbai Political party : Congress (I) Took Office : Oct 31, 1984 Left Office : Dec 2, 1989 Successor : -		Prime Ministers of India •  Jawaharlal Nehru •  Gulzari Lal Nanda •  Lal Bahadur Shastri •  Indira Gandhi •  Morarji Desai •  Chowdhary Charan Singh •  Rajiv Gandhi •  Shri. V.P. Singh •  Shri Chandra Shekhar •  Shri P. V. Narasimha Rao •  Shri H. D. Deve Gowda •  I .K.Gujral •  Atal Bihari Vajpayee •  Manmohan Singh
Rajiv Gandhi was born on August 20, 1944 in Mumbai. Born to parents, Firoz Gandhi and Priyadarshini Gandhi, he was heir to the political heritage of his mother and grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru, the architect of modern India. He married Sonia Maino, an Italian girl, whom he met during his student days in Cambridge. Rajiv was a pilot by profession. He was never interested in politics but the sudden death of his younger brother Sanjay in a glider accident in Delhi steered Rajiv Gandhi into it. He won the election from Amethi and became a Member of Parliament in 1981. He was appointed general secretary of the Congress party in 1983. On the October 31, 1984 he took the oath as the Prime Minister of the country. Rajiv Gandhi was the youngest Prime Minister of the World's largest Democracy. He strengthened India's political, economic and cultural bonds with other countries. He was the first politician at the helm to criticize the power brokers who ruled the roost in the ruling party. Rajiv Gandhi found himself in many controversies during the last two years of his Prime Minister ship. He met a tragic end on 21st may 1991 at Sriperumbudur, by an LTTE (Liberal tigers of Tamil Eelam) Suicide Bomber named Tanu, when he was attending an election meeting. The Government of India conferred the highest honour of the land "Bharat Ratna" on him posthumously. Many foundations have been established to cherish his memory for the welfare of society in the fields of Science and Technology, Arts and Culture, and Health and Medicine.

Chowdhary Charan Singh

Chowdhary Charan Singh Date of Birth : Dec 23, 1902 Date of Death : May 29, 1987 Place of Birth : Meerut Political party : Janata Party Took Office : Jul 28, 1979 Left Office : Jan 14, 1980 Successor : -		Prime Ministers of India •  Jawaharlal Nehru •  Gulzari Lal Nanda •  Lal Bahadur Shastri •  Indira Gandhi •  Morarji Desai •  Chowdhary Charan Singh •  Rajiv Gandhi •  Shri. V.P. Singh •  Shri Chandra Shekhar •  Shri P. V. Narasimha Rao •  Shri H. D. Deve Gowda •  I .K.Gujral •  Atal Bihari Vajpayee •  Manmohan Singh
Shri Charan Singh was born in 1902 at Noorpur in Meerut district of Uttar Pradesh, in a middle class peasant family. He graduated in science in 1923, and did his post-graduation from Agra University in 1925. Also trained in law, he set up practice at Ghaziabad. He shifted to Meerut in 1929 and later joined the Congress. He was first elected to the U.P. Legislative Assembly in 1937 from Chhatrauli, and represented the constituency in 1946, 1952, 1962 and 1967. He became Parliamentary Secretary in Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant's Government in 1946 Revenue, Medical and Public Health, Justice, Information etc. In June 1951, he was appointed Cabinet Minister in the State and given charge of the Departments of Justice and Information. Later he took over as the Minister for Revenue and Agriculture in the Cabinet of Dr. Sampurnanand in 1952. When he resigned in April 1959, he was holding charge of the Department of Revenue and Transport. In Shri C.B. Gupta's Ministry he was Minister for Home and Agriculture (1960). Shri Charan Singh served as Minister for Agriculture and Forests (1962-63) in Smt. Sucheta Kripalani's Ministry. He gave up the Department of Agriculture in 1965 and assumed charge of the Local Self-government department in 1966. In Shri C.B. Gupta's Ministry he was Minister for Home and Agriculture (1960). Shri Charan Singh served as Minister for Agriculture and Forests (1962-63) in Smt. Sucheta Kripalani's Ministry. He gave up the Department of Agriculture in 1965 and assumed charge of the Local Self-government department in 1966. After the Congress split, he became the Chief Minister of U.P. for the second time in February 1970 with the support of the Congress Party. However, President's Rule was imposed in the State on October 2, 1970. Shri Charan Singh served Uttar Pradesh in various capacities and won a reputation as a hard taskmaster who would not tolerate inefficiency, nepotism and corruption in administration. A gifted parliamentarian and a pragmatist, Shri Charan Singh is known for his eloquence and courage of conviction. He was the chief architect of land reforms in U.P.; he took a leading part in formulation and finalisation of the Dept. Redemption Bill 1939, which brought great relief to rural debtors. It was also at his initiative that the salaries and other privileges enjoyed by Ministers in U.P. were drastically reduced. As Chief Minister he was instrumental in bringing about the Land Holding Act 1960 which was aimed at lowering the ceiling on land holdings to make it uniform throughout the State. Few political leaders in the country could match Shri Charan Singh in their command of popular will at the grass-roots level. A dedicated public worker and staunch believer in social justice, Shri Charan Singh's strength stemmed essentially from the confidence he enjoyed among millions of peasants. Chaudhary Charan Singh led a simple life and spent his spare time reading and writing. He was the author of several books and pamphlets, including 'Abolition of Zamindari', 'Co-operative Farming X-rayed', 'India's Poverty and its Solution', 'Peasant Proprietorship or Land to the Workers' and 'Prevention of Division of Holdings Below a Certain Minimum'.

Morarji Desai

Morarji Desai Date of Birth : Feb 29, 1896 Date of Death : Apr 10, 1995 Place of Birth : Gujarat Political party : Janata Party Took Office : Mar 24, 1977 Left Office : Jul 15, 1979 Successor : Charan Singh		Prime Ministers of India •  Jawaharlal Nehru •  Gulzari Lal Nanda •  Lal Bahadur Shastri •  Indira Gandhi •  Morarji Desai •  Chowdhary Charan Singh •  Rajiv Gandhi •  Shri. V.P. Singh •  Shri Chandra Shekhar •  Shri P. V. Narasimha Rao •  Shri H. D. Deve Gowda •  I .K.Gujral •  Atal Bihari Vajpayee •  Manmohan Singh
Morarji Ranchhodji Desai was an Indian freedom fighter and the first non-Congress Party Prime Minister of India. He is the only person to receive the highest civilian awards from both India and Pakistan, namely the Bharat Ratna and Nishaan-e-Pakistan. Originally a college-educated civil servant in Gujarat, Desai left the service of the British in 1924 and joined the civil disobedience movement against British rule in India in 1930. He spent many years in jail during the freedom struggle and owing to his sharp leadership skills and tough spirit, became a favorite amongst freedom-fighters and an important leader of the Indian National Congress in Gujarat. When provincial elections were held in 1934 and 1937, Desai was elected and served as the Revenue Minister and Home Minister of the then Bombay Presidency. Before the Independence of India, he became Bombay's Home Minister and later was elected Chief Minister of Bombay in 1952. Respected as a tough leader, Desai was also known for eccentric beliefs and arrogance in authority. As Home Minister, for example, Desai had outlawed any "kissing" scenes in films and theatrical productions. Although a staunch Gandhian, Desai was socially conservative, pro-business, and for free enterprise reforms, as opposed to Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's socialistic policies. Rising in Congress leadership, Desai was at odds with Prime Minister Nehru and his allies, and with Nehru's age and health flagging, was considered a tough contender for the PM's job. Outflanked in the leadership contest after Nehru's death in 1964 by the Nehruvian Lal Bahadur Shastri, Desai remained content to build support within the ranks. But he chose to go all-out for the top job in 1966 after Shastri's death, and fought a very closely-contested race with Indira Gandhi, for not only the control of the majority party, but of the nation's future direction. It was liberal socialism versus conservative nationalism, and Desai's 169 votes lost to Indira's 351. Initially Desai stayed out of the Cabinet, biding his time. As the young novice PM's government grew imbroiled in controversy following a poor harvest, controversial currency devaluation, and rising disenchantment in the country, Desai's position grew powerful and he returned to the Cabinet in 1967. He demanded the powerful, no. 2 office, the Ministry for Home Affairs, but settled for the Ministry for Finance, with the title of the Deputy Prime Minister. Relations between this 71-year old hard-nosed veteran and his 50-year old female boss were strained, and Desai often spoke in contempt of Indira as that "bit of a girl." In 1969, Indira Gandhi and her allies engineered a major schism in the Congress Party, and her rebelling, leftist Congressmen formed the Congress (R), later to become the Congress (I) Party. Desai and the Congress establishment cohesed to form the Congress (O) Party. But in General Elections held in 1971, the Congress (O) was drubbed owing to Indira Gandhi's popularity as a wartime leader. Desai remained Leader of the Opposition of a flagging party of old men adhering to freedom-era legacies. When Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was convicted in 1974 of using government machinery for election work, Desai joined Jaya Prakash Narayan in organizing mass protests throughout the country calling for her resignation. Combining frustration with corruption and economic disenchantment with outrage at this conviction, the opposition coalition created much disorder and unrest in the country. Desai was arrested in 1975 when Indira Gandhi declared Emergency. An old freedom-fighter was thus ironically arrested for an act of civil disobedience of the Government of Nehru's daughter. When Indira called elections in 1977, scores of opposition groups, including the Congress (O), joined with longtime rivals, regional parties and blocs of rival ideologies to form the Janata Party. It won 356 seats, a near-absolute majority. Morarji Desai finally won the Prime Minister's job when J.P. Narayan picked him as the man most likely to keep the coalition united. He was 81, but amazingly healthy and vigorous, without any particular ailments. Interestingly, he became India's first Deputy PM to climb to the post of Indian Prime Minister. Desai led a fractious collage of a coalition government, and thus failed to achieve much owing to continuous wrangling and controversy. With no party in leadership of the coalition, rival groups vied to unseat Desai. Controversial trials of prominent Congress leaders, including Indira Gandhi over Emergency-era abuses tied down the fortunes of his administration. Desai worked to improve relations with neighbor and archrival Pakistan and restored diplomatic relations with China, frozen since the 1962 war. But no significant legislative agenda could be assembled or passed owing to continuous internecine warfare. Increasingly unpopular because the public saw his government as victimizing Indira, a woman in a helpless position, Desai's son was also accused of corruption, abusive influence over the PM's role, and misuse of government resources. Desai is however credited with improving relations with Pakistan and Zia-ul-Haq. Diplomatic relations were also re-established with China. His greatest contribution was that his Government renewed people's faith in democracy. His Government undid many amendments made to the constitution during emergency and made it difficult for any future Government to impose National emergency. In 1979, Charan Singh pulled his BLD out of the Janata alliance, and Desai resigned from office and retired from politics at 83 years old. He lived in the city of Mumbai, and died at the age of 99. He had been honored much in his last years as the last great living freedom-fighter of his generation. Morarji Desai was a strict follower of Mahatma Gandhi's principles and a moralist.

Indira Gandhi

Indira Gandhi Date of Birth : Nov 19, 1917 Date of Death : Oct 31, 1984 Place of Birth : Allahabad Political party : Congress (I) Took Office : Jan 15, 1980 Left Office : Oct 31, 1984 Successor : Rajiv Gandhi		Prime Ministers of India •  Jawaharlal Nehru •  Gulzari Lal Nanda •  Lal Bahadur Shastri •  Indira Gandhi •  Morarji Desai •  Chowdhary Charan Singh •  Rajiv Gandhi •  Shri. V.P. Singh •  Shri Chandra Shekhar •  Shri P. V. Narasimha Rao •  Shri H. D. Deve Gowda •  I .K.Gujral •  Atal Bihari Vajpayee •  Manmohan Singh
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi was Prime Minister of India from January 19, 1966 to March 24, 1977, and again from January 14, 1980 until her assassination on October 31, 1984. Born to India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi was one of India's most notable and controversial political leaders. The Nehru family can trace their ancestry to the Brahmins of Jammu and Kashmir and Delhi. Indira's grandfather Motilal Nehru was a wealthy barrister of Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh. Nehru was one of the most prominent members of the Indian National Congress in pre-Gandhi times and would go on to author the Nehru Report, the people's choice for a future Indian system of government as opposed to the British system. Her father Jawaharlal Nehru was a well-educated lawyer and was a popular leader of the Indian Independence Movement. Indira was born to his young wife Kamala; at this juncture, Nehru entered the independence movement with Mahatma Gandhi. Indira Gandhi (1917-1984) was the only child of Kamla and Jawaharlal Nehru. She spent part of her childhood in Allahabad, where the Nehrus had their family residence, and part in Switzerland, where her mother Kamla convalesced from her periodic illnesses. She received her college education at Somerville College, Oxford. A famous photograph from her childhood shows her sitting by the bedside of Mahatma Gandhi, as he recovered from one of his fasts; and though she was not actively involved in the freedom struggle, she came to know the entire Indian political leadership. After India's attainment of independence, and the ascendancy of Jawaharlal Nehru, now a widower, to the office of the Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi managed the official residence of her father, and accompanied him on his numerous foreign trips. She had been married in 1942 to Feroze Gandhi, who rose to some eminence as a parliamentarian and politician of integrity but found himself disliked by his more famous father-in-law, but Feroze died in 1960 before he could consolidate his own political forces. Mrs. Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister of India, 1966-77 and 1980-84. She was assassinated in 1984. In 1964, the year of her father's death, Indira Gandhi was for the first time elected to Parliament, and she was Minister of Information and Broadcasting in the government of Lal Bahadur Shastri, who died unexpectedly of a heart attack less than two years after assuming office. The numerous contenders for the position of the Prime Ministership, unable to agree among themselves, picked Indira Gandhi as a candidate, and each thought that she would be easily manipulable. But Indira Gandhi showed extraordinary political skills and tenacity and elbowed the Congress dons -- Kamaraj, Morarji Desai, and others -- out of power. She held the office of the Prime Minister from 1966 to 1977. She was riding the crest of popularity after India's triumph in the war of 1971 against Pakistan, and the explosion of a nuclear device in 1974 helped to enhance her reputation among middle-class Indians as a tough and shrewd political leader. However, by 1973, Delhi and north India were rocked by demonstrations angry at high inflation, the poor state of the economy, rampant corruption, and the poor standards of living. In June 1975, the High Court of Allahabad found her guilty of using illegal practices during the last election campaign, and ordered her to vacate her seat. There were demands for her resignation. Mrs. Gandhi's response was to declare a state of emergency, under which her political foes were imprisoned, constitutional rights abrogated, and the press placed under strict censorship. In early 1977, confident that she had debilitated her opposition, Mrs. Gandhi called for fresh elections, and found herself trounced by a newly formed coalition of several political parties. Her Congress party lost badly at the polls. Many declared that she was a spent force; but, three years later, she was to return as Prime Minister of India. The same year, however, her son Sanjay was killed in an airplane crash. In the second, post-Emergency, period of her Prime Ministership, Indira Gandhi was preoccupied by efforts to resolve the political problems in the state of Punjab. In her attempt to crush the secessionist movement of Sikh militants, led by Jarnail Singh Bindranwale, she ordered an assault upon the holiest Sikh shrine in Amritsar, called the "Golden Temple". It is here that Bindranwale and his armed supporters had holed up, and it is from the Golden Temple that they waged their campaign of terrorism not merely against the Government, but against moderate Sikhs and Hindus. "Operation Bluestar", waged in June 1984, led to the death of Bindranwale, and the Golden Temple was stripped clean of Sikh terrorists; however, the Golden Temple was damaged, and Mrs. Gandhi earned the undying hatred of Sikhs who bitterly resented the desacralization of their sacred space. In November of the same year, Mrs. Gandhi was assassinated, at her residence, by two of her own Sikh bodyguards, who claimed to be avenging the insult heaped upon the Sikh nation. Mrs. Gandhi acquired a formidable international reputation as a "statesman", and there is no doubt that she was extraordinarily skilled in politics. She was prone, like many other politicians, to thrive on slogans, and one -- Garibi Hatao, "Remove Poverty" -- became the rallying cry for one of her election campaigns. She had an authoritarian streak, and though a cultured woman, rarely tolerated dissent; and she did, in many respects, irreparable harm to Indian democracy. Apart from her infamous imposition of the internal emergency, the use of the army to resolve internal disputes greatly increased in her time; and she encouraged a culture of sycophancy and nepotism. At her death, her older son, Rajiv Gandhi, was sworn in as head of the Congress party and Prime Minister.

Lal Bahadur Shastri

Lal Bahadur Shastri Date of Birth : Oct 2, 1904 Date of Death : Jan 11, 1966 Place of Birth : Uttar Pradesh Political party : Indian National Congress Took Office : Jun 9, 1964 Left Office : Jan 11, 1966 Successor : Gulzarilal Nanda		Prime Ministers of India •  Jawaharlal Nehru •  Gulzari Lal Nanda •  Lal Bahadur Shastri •  Indira Gandhi •  Morarji Desai •  Chowdhary Charan Singh •  Rajiv Gandhi •  Shri. V.P. Singh •  Shri Chandra Shekhar •  Shri P. V. Narasimha Rao •  Shri H. D. Deve Gowda •  I .K.Gujral •  Atal Bihari Vajpayee •  Manmohan Singh
Lal Bahadur Shastri was the second Prime Minister of independent India and a significant figure in the struggle for independence. Shashtriji was born in Mughalsarai, in Uttar Pradesh. To take part in the non-cooperation movement of Mahatma Gandhi in 1921, he began studying at the nationalist, Kashi Vidyapeeth in Kashi, and upon completion, he was given the title Shastri, or Scholar, Doctor at Kashi Vidyapeeth in 1926. He spent almost nine years in jail in total, mostly after the start of the Satyagraha movement in 1940, he was imprisoned until 1946. Following India's independence, he was Home Minister under Chief Minister Govind Ballabh Pant of Uttar Pradesh. In 1951, he was appointed General Secretary of the Lok Sabha before re-gaining a ministerial post as Railways Minister. He resigned as Minister following a rail disaster near Ariyalur, Tamil Nadu. He returned to the Cabinet following the General Elections, first as Minister for Transport, in 1961, he became Home Minister. After Jawaharlal Nehru's death in May 27, 1964, he became the prime minister. Shastri worked by his natural characteristics to obtain compromises between opposing viewpoints, but in his short tenure was ineffectual in dealing with the economic crisis and food shortage in the nation. However, he commanded a great deal of respect in the Indian populace, and he used it to advantage in pushing the Green Revolution in India; which directly led to India becoming a food-surplus nation, although he did not live to see it. His administration began on a rocky turf. In 1965 Pakistan attacked India on the Kashmiri front and Lal Bahadur Shastri responded in kind by punching toward Lahore. In 1966 a cease-fire was issued as a result of international pressure. Lal Bahadur Shastri went to Tashkent to hold talks with Ayub Khan and an agreement was soon signed. Lal Bahadur passed away in Tashkent before returning home. All his lifetime, he was known for his honesty and humility. He was the first person to be posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna and a memorial "Vijay Ghat" was built for him in Delhi. The slogan 'Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan' is attributed to Shastri. 'If one person gives up one meal in a day, some other person gets his only meal of the day.': made during the food crisis to encourage people to evenly distribute food.