Chaudhary Charan Singh (1902-1987) was an Indian agricultural intellectual and politician. Among farmers, he is known as “Chowdhury Sahib” and “Champion of Indian Farmers”. As the son of a farmer born in British India, he understood the plight of Indian agrarian society. He was deeply influenced by Dayananda Saraswati and Mahatma Gandhi. He participated in the Indian independence movement led by Gandhi and became a member of the Arya Samaj, fighting against the rigidity and prejudice prevalent in society at that time. He served as the fifth Prime Minister of India. He also served as the fifth Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. Apart from this, he also held many important 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, December 23, 1902 in the village of Nurpur in Meerut District, United Provinces of British India (now Uttar Pradesh, India) (he died aged 84). His zodiac sign is Capricorn. He completed his primary education in a school in Jani Kurd. He was an excellent student and wanted to study further, but his father was unable to pay his tuition with his meager income. Charan’s uncle Rakhpat Singh, who served in the Indian Army, had full confidence in him and gave him the opportunity to study further. He went to Meerut to continue his studies. He completed his matriculation examinations in 1919 and his intermediate examinations in 1921 from Government High School, Meerut. Thereafter, he joined Agra College, Agra, and pursued his Bachelor of Science degree in 1923. After graduation, he pursued MA in History (British, European, Indian) and then LLB from Meerut College (Agra University). 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
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′7″
Hair color: gray
Eye color: black
family
Parents and siblings
Charan Singh’s father Mir Singh was a tenant farmer in Nurpur village. According to reports, the landowner moved to Bhoop Garhi in Meerut after taking back the land from Mir Singh. After a few years, he purchased a small plot of land in Meerutbadau village and settled there permanently. Charan Singh’s mother Netra Kaur is a housewife. His parents married in 1898. Charan Singh has 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 December 5, 1925. They had 6 children, 5 daughters: Satyavati, Vedvati, Gyanvati, Saroj, Sharda and a son Ajit Singh. His wife Gayatri Devi was elected to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly from the Igras (Aligarh) constituency in 1969 and the Gokul constituency in 1974. She was later elected to the Lok Sabha from Kairana constituency. His son Ajit Singh continued his legacy and went on to hold many important positions in the federal government. His grandson Jayant Chaudhary is also a politician.
Charan Singh (front row, first from left) with his wife and children
Religion/Religious Views
He was influenced by Arya Samaj at an early stage of his life. According to Arya Samaj, true religion is truth, knowledge and moral life. Therefore, Charan Singh named his 3 children Satya, Ved and Gyan. He condemned religious rituals and idolatrous practices.
Chaudhary Charan Singh (third row, sixth from right) and members of Arya Samaj
caste
Charan Singh belonged to the Jat family of the “Teotia” clan in the Rohilkhand district of northwestern United Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh). He was a strong supporter of social equality. To reflect this, during his college days, he often ate Dalit food. In an interview, he discussed his views on the caste system and said,
After graduation, I was appointed as the vice-principal of Jat High School, but there was a caste name in it and I couldn’t accept it. I have been against this social system since I was a child.
Signature/Autograph
Charan Singh’s signature
Profession
civil lawyer
After completing his LLB, Charan Singh became a practicing advocate at the Ghaziabad Civil Court in 1928 and remained there till 1939.
politician
He joined the Indian National Congress in 1929 and was elected deputy chairman of the Meerut District Council in 1930. However, he was soon imprisoned by the British government for 6 months for participating in the non-violent salt movement led by Mahatma Gandhi. In 1937, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the United Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh) from Chhaprauli (Baghpat, where he was elected eight times). Soon after, he introduced many important bills to protect the interests of tenants, and successfully passed some of them. The most important was the United Provinces Agricultural and Labor Debt Redemption Act, which freed some farmers from the control of moneylenders. In 1948, Gobind Bharath Pant became the Prime Minister of Uttar Pradesh and appointed Charan Singh as the Parliamentary Secretary.
Charan Singh (third from right) in Gobind Ballabh Pant’s cabinet in 1948
While serving as Pant’s secretary, he framed the Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Act, which became an Act on January 24, 1951. He considers this a milestone in his career. He said,
हरिजन लोग, आदिवरसी लोग, भूमिहीन लोग, बेरोज़गरर लोग 50% 50% 50% 50% 50% जिनके पस केवल 1 हैक्टेयर से कम ज़मीन है … “
HT reports on Zamindari repeal bill news
From 1951 to 1954, he held various positions in the Gobind Balapan government, such as Minister of Justice and Information, Minister of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, and Minister of Revenue. When Sampnanand became the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, he chose Charan Singh as the Revenue, Irrigation and Power Minister. He served as Home Minister in the Chandra Bhanu government and Agriculture Minister in the Sucheta Kripplani government.
Charan Singh in the Chandra Banu cabinet (front row, far left)
In 1967, he became the first non-Congress MP in Uttar Pradesh and formed the government in alliance with the Samyukta Vidhayak Dal, but his tenure was short-lived. Later, he founded the Bharatiya Kranti Dal in 1968. In 1970, he won again and became chief minister for a second time, but this only lasted a few months.
In 1974, he founded the Bharatiya Lok Dal. Charan Singh was jailed for the first time in independent India on June 25, 1975, when the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared a state of emergency. In 1977, he was released from prison and helped form the Janata Party against Indira Gandhi by merging the Bharatiya Janata Party and Janata Party. In 1977, he was first elected to Lok Sabha from Baghpat constituency. Morarji Desai appointed him federal finance minister and later home minister.
Charan Singh (first from left) and Prime Minister Morarji Desai as Home Minister
After Morarji Desai resigned in 1979, Charan Singh became Prime Minister of India, but after 23 days in office, Indira Gandhi withdrew her vote against Charan Singh before she had to prove her majority in Parliament. support from the Georgian government. He founded the Lok Dal in 1980 and the Dalit Mazdoor Kisan Party in 1984.
die
He died on May 29, 1987, after a long illness. He was cremated at Kishan Ghat in New Delhi, adjacent to Mahatma Gandhi’s samadhi.
Facts/Trivia
- Chaudhary Charan Singh’s birthday (December 23) is known as Kisan Diwas in India.
- The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) established the Chaudhry Charan Singh Award in his name in 2000. The award is given annually and recognizes outstanding journalism in agricultural research and development. It comes with a cash prize of Rs. 1,00,000 and certificate.
- He became the first non-Congressman from Uttar Pradesh.
- Two universities are named after him: Chaudhry Charan Singh University Meerut (formerly Meerut University) and Hisar Chaudhry Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University (formerly Haryana Agricultural University).
- Amausi Airport near Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh was named Chaudhry Charan Singh International Airport after him in 2008.
Lucknow Chaudhry Charan Singh International Airport
- His monument in Delhi is located next to Mahatma Gandhi and is named ‘Kisan Ghat’.
Charan Singh Memorial Kisan Ghat
- After the Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Bill was passed, about 27,000 Patwaris resigned in protest. Chaudhry Charan Singh accepted their resignations without hesitation but did not make any changes to the bill. He then recruited new Patwaris, who came to be known as “Lehpals”.
- He has written several books on agriculture, development and rural economics. These include Land Reforms in Uttar Pradesh and the Kulaks, Abolition of Zamindari, Two Alternatives, United Agricultural Perspectives: Problems and Their Solutions, Poverty in India and its Solutions, Economic Policy in India – Gandhi Blueprint, India’s Economic Nightmare ——The causes and treatments.
- His opponents often refer to him as “Chairman Singh” because of his constant changing of positions. According to them, Charan Singh was loyal only to power. They even say that he is the originator of “Aaya Ram Gaya Ram” (party switching and political dealing).
- In 2024, he was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education