Charan Singh

Charan Singh (born December 23, 1902, Noorpur, Meerut district, United Provinces [now Uttar Pradesh], India—died May 29, 1987, New Delhi) was an Indian politician who served briefly as prime minister (July 1979–January 1980), representing the Janata Party. He was also the first non-Indian National Congress chief minister (1967–68) of Uttar Pradesh, which sends the highest number of elected representatives to the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha (the lower and upper houses of India’s parliament, respectively) and significantly influences the country’s political narrative. Singh earned the title “champion of farmers” for his land and agricultural reform initiatives.

Early life

Charan Singh grew up in poverty as the son of a landless farmer and witnessed firsthand the negative effects of the zamindari system, a land revenue system introduced in the 18th century by Lord Cornwallis, the British governor-general of India, in which zamindars (landlords) acted as intermediaries between the British raj and farmers. The widespread exploitation of farmers due to high revenue demands was common in the zamindari system. Singh was instrumental in passing a number of land reforms in his political career, including the Zamindari and Land Reforms Act (1952) in Uttar Pradesh.

He was greatly influenced by the philosophy of the Hindu reform movement Arya Samaj and its founder, Dayanand Saraswati, especially his stance against the caste system. Mahatma Gandhi’s principles, including satyagraha, simple living, and wearing khadi (homespun cotton cloth), deeply influenced Singh’s lifestyle.

Indian National Congress

Singh started practicing law in 1928 and joined the Indian National Congress the following year. His first political activity was participating in the protests against the Simon Commission in 1929. Singh was the president of the Meerut District Congress Committee from 1940 to 1946. He was jailed several times in the struggle for Indian independence, including in 1930 for participating in the Salt Satyagraha and in 1942 for his involvement in the Quit India Movement.

Singh was elected to the United Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh) legislative assembly in 1937 from Meerut district. He was a cabinet minister in almost every Congress Party government in Uttar Pradesh from 1951 to 1967.

Split from the Congress Party and first term as chief minister of Uttar Pradesh

Charan Singh left the Congress Party in 1967, along with 16 other members, owing to intense disagreements within the party. Singh was particularly concerned about the role of corruption among legislators, the absence of policies favoring agriculture and rural development, and the entrenched concentration of power among urban elites and upper castes. He was also disappointed after being passed over for the position of Uttar Pradesh chief in favor of Congress Party leader Chandra Bhanu Gupta.

When no single party could secure a majority in the 1967 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, a group of parties, including the Jana Sangh and the Samyukta Socialist Party (SSP), merged to form the Samyukta Vidayak Dal (SVD; United Legislators Party). The SVD came to power as a coalition government, and on April 3, 1967, Singh became the first non-Congress Party chief minister of Uttar Pradesh.

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Singh and several other former Congress Party members formed the Bharatiya Kranti Dal (BKD) party in May 1967. During this period tensions arose within the SVD coalition. The SSP launched an “Angrezi hatao” (“remove English”) campaign to protest against the Congress Party’s perceived promotion of English-language education to the detriment of Hindi. The SSP launched violent protests during Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s visit to Uttar Pradesh in 1968, and two of its members were arrested. Singh condemned the SSP for the protests. As a result, the socialist parties withdrew from the coalition, causing the government to collapse. Singh resigned as chief minister in February 1968, and Uttar Pradesh came under president’s rule until fresh elections were held in February 1969.

Second term as chief minister

Following the 1969 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, the Congress Party emerged as the largest party, and the BKD secured the second largest position. Chandra Bhanu Gupta of the Congress Party was appointed chief minister. Later that year, the Congress Party expelled Gandhi because of differences with the party’s old guard, which led to a split within the party. It resulted in two factions: Congress (O, or Organisation), comprising veteran leaders, and the Gandhi-led Congress (R, or Requisitionists). The instability caused by the split led to the collapse of the Gupta government. In February 1970 Charan Singh, with the support of Congress (R), became the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh for the second time.

As chief minister, Singh expedited distribution of land rights to the landless and continued his crusade against corruption. However, tensions between the BKD and the Congress Party resurfaced as the BKD voted against the abolition of the Privy Purse, a payment made to the rulers of erstwhile princely states as part of the agreement to join India. Congress (R), which supported the abolition of the Privy Purse, withdrew its support from the Singh government, which collapsed in September 1970. Subsequently, president’s rule was imposed in the state. The Privy Purse was abolished in 1971 by the 26th Constitutional Amendment Act.

New party, arrest, and entry into the parliament

Singh formed the Bharatiya Lok Dal (BLD), a group of seven parties opposed to the Congress Party, in 1974. He also led massive protests against Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and the Congress Party. On June 25, 1975, Indian Pres. Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, acting on Gandhi’s advice, declared a national emergency under Article 352 of the Indian constitution that lasted until March 21, 1977. Several leaders who opposed the Emergency, including Charan Singh, were arrested. Singh was imprisoned in Delhi’s Tihar jail on June 25, 1975, and was not released until the following March.

Singh’s BKD, along with the Jana Sangh, the Socialist Party, and Congress (O), merged to form the Janata Party in 1977. Riding on the anti-Emergency wave, the Janata Party resoundingly defeated the Congress Party in the 1977 general election. Singh served as minister of home affairs in Prime Minister Morarji Desai’s cabinet until July 1978. He then resigned from his post over internal differences. He returned to the cabinet six months later and assumed the roles of deputy prime minister and finance minister.

Brief term as prime minister

The Janata Party split in 1979 over internal disagreements and an inability to manage various ideological divides within the party. After the fall of the government, Singh was appointed prime minister in July 1979 with the support of the Indira Gandhi-led Congress Party, on the condition that he withdraw all cases against Gandhi’s son Sanjay Gandhi for actions taken during the Emergency. These cases involved charges of abuse of power and press censorship. Singh refused to withdraw the cases, and the Congress Party pulled its support. Singh resigned as prime minister in August 1979. However, he continued as caretaker prime minister until a new general election was held in January 1980.

Legacy of championing farmers

Singh suffered a stroke in 1985 and died on May 29, 1987. In recognition of his lifelong work to support farmers and rural development, a memorial in his honor known as Kisan Ghat (“farmers’ platform”) was built in the Raj Ghat memorial complex in New Delhi. Each year on December 23, the anniversary of his birthday is celebrated as Kisan Diwas (National Farmers Day) across India.

In 2024 Indian Pres. Droupadi Murmu conferred the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award, on Charan Singh posthumously.