Charan Singh

Charan Singh
Official portrait, 1979
5th Prime Minister of India
In office 28 July 1979 – 20 August 1979 (Caretaker: 21 August 1979 – 14 January 1980)
President	Neelam Sanjiva Reddy
Deputy	Yashwantrao Chavan
Preceded by	Morarji Desai
Succeeded by	Indira Gandhi
3rd Deputy Prime Minister of India
In office 24 January 1979 – 16 July 1979 Serving with Jagjivan Ram
Prime Minister	Morarji Desai
Preceded by	Morarji Desai
Succeeded by	Yashwantrao Chavan
Minister of Finance
In office 24 January 1979 – 16 July 1979
Prime Minister	Morarji Desai
Preceded by	H. M. Patel
Succeeded by	Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna
Minister of Home Affairs
In office 24 March 1977 – 1 July 1978
Prime Minister	Morarji Desai
Preceded by	Kasu Brahmananda Reddy
Succeeded by	Morarji Desai
5th Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh
In office 18 February 1970 – 1 October 1970
Preceded by	Chandra Bhanu Gupta
Succeeded by	President's rule
In office 3 April 1967 – 25 February 1968
Preceded by	Chandra Bhanu Gupta
Succeeded by	President's rule
Personal details
Born	Chaudhary Charan Singh (1902-12-23)23 December 1902 Noorpur, United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, British India (present-day Uttar Pradesh, India)
Died	29 May 1987(1987-05-29) (aged 84) New Delhi, India
Monuments	Kisan Ghat
Political party	Lokdal (own party; 1979–1987)
Other political affiliations	Indian National Congress (Before 1967) Bharatiya Kranti Dal (own party; 1967–1977) Janata Party (1977–1979) Janata Party (Secular) (1979–1980)
Spouse	Gayatri Devi ​ (m. 1925)​
Children	6; including Ajit Singh
Education	Bachelor of Science (1923), Masters of Arts (1925), Bachelor of Laws (1927)
Alma mater	Agra University
Awards	Bharat Ratna (2024)

Chaudhary Charan Singh (23 December 1902 – 29 May 1987) was an Indian politician and a freedom fighter who served as the 5th Prime Minister of India from 1979 to 1980 and the 3rd Deputy Prime Minister of India from January 1979 to July 1979. He served as 5th Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh as a member of Bhartiya Kranti Dal. Charan Singh is known for his land and agricultural reform initiatives. He is widely regarded as the "Champion of farmers" after his life has been dedicated to advocating for the wellbeing and rights of farmers.^[1] He is the first leader outside the Indian National Congress who formed government in the northern India and became 5th chief minister of Uttar Pradesh.^[2]

Charan Singh followed Mahatma Gandhi in non-violent struggle for independence from the British Government, and was imprisoned several times. In 1930, he was sent to jail for 12 years by the British for contravention of the salt laws. He was jailed again for one year in November 1940 for individual Satyagraha movement. In August 1942 he was jailed again by the British under DIR and released in November 1943. Though a Congress member for most of his life, he later founded his own political party Lokdal in 1980.^[3][4][5][6]

He was awarded Bharat Ratna, highest civilian award of Republic of India, for his contributions to agriculture sector especially in Uttar Pradesh. He is credited for bringing radical land reform measures and bringing uniformity in the farm sector. One of his biggest achievements was bringing out farmers from the clutches of moneylenders, which reduced suicide rates in the community. These reforms were implemented through the Debt Redemption Bill, the Land Holding Act, and the Zamindari Abolition Act.^[7][8]

His association with causes dear to farming communities in India caused his memorial in New Delhi to be named Kisan Ghat (in Hindi, Kisan is the word for farmer and Ghat is word for river bank). His birthday on 23 December is celebrated as Kisan Diwas^[9] in India. A commemorative postage stamp was issued by the government of India in remembrance of Charan Singh. Lucknow International Airport is named after him, as a tribute to his legacy. The university of Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, India, is also named Chaudhary Charan Singh University in his honour.