Today is the Birth Anniversary of Mr. V.P.Singh - A Man of Great Conviction and Unimpeachable Integrity ...
Born on June 25, 1931 at Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh, the Law student at Udai Pratap College, Varanasi, and later physics student at Fergusson College, Pune, V P Singh remains one of the most hated politicians even after almost 25 years of demitting office. The Hindu upper caste would never forgive him for the single act of 'Mandalisation' of Indian society, which finally resulted in a clear change in India's parliament. Though, he was often blamed for implementation of the Mandal Commission Report, the fact was that implementation of Mandal Commission Report was part of National Front manifesto. He was just following the manifesto. Moreover, even if he did it for political purposes, why did the champions of social justice not support it? V.P. Singh was essentially a loner in politics. In the dirty word of politics, where personal loyalties are considered important and money plays an important role, he kept himself away from all this.
At the time when even the local corporation member did not travel without a few gun trotting guards and streams of vehicles, Mr. V.P. Singh could shun publicity and security. In fact immediately after demitting the office, he asked the government to withdraw his SPG.
V.P. Singh is often charged with playing politics. His detractors found it difficult to counter him argumentatively as though Singh might not have been a rebel rouser in political sense as he never lost sight of decency and could mingle with people very easily speaking with them in chaste Bhojpuri, yet because of his sheer conviction and clean personal life, none of them could really challenge him.
His files were traced and journalists like M.J.Akbar were used to get stories published in newspapers like Hindustan Times and Telegraph that Singh has an account in St Kitts. The business-journalist-right wing nexus is very powerful in India and politicians use it. V. P. Singh was perhaps the only politician who not only shunned businessmen but also the middlemen Babas. He did not hesitate in raiding the industrial houses who were involved in fincial bunglings, he also tried to investigate the illegal accounts of political class.
Singh gave Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar a due place in the history of India, in the centenary celebration of Baba Saheb Ambedkar, the entire literature of Baba Saheb was got translated in Hindi and made available to all the countrymen. Not only Baba Saheb Ambedkar was posthumously awarded Bharat Ratna, his photograph also adores the Parliament House, which should have been done long back.
Today, Ambedkar Jayanti is a national holiday and all the governments have to publish tribute to Ambedkar on his birth and death ceremonies. Whether they do it out of conviction or compulsion that is another matter but VP Singh initiated the process and they remain unchangeable now. These things might look smaller and political but they are important when we see it from historical perspective of the people whose history have always been denied and unacknowledged.
Few are aware of his contribution in the enactment of the Right to Information Act and the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. In a poignant obituary of Singh, RTI’s principal architects, Aruna Roy and Nikhil Dey, wrote in the Indian Express, "When the history of these two legislations are more comprehensively written, there will be many architects and strategists who will finally get the credit they never sought… VP Singh was one of them. He will always be cited for implementing the Mandal Commission report. But that alone is not his contribution… It will be a grave injustice to him and posterity however, if his role as a statesman politician in establishing the rights of the poor is not acknowledged." Roy and Dey then went to add, "For those of us who were small fish swimming against the tide of the Indian political discourse, he inspired tenacity, imparted humour, and provided sustained practical support and advice."
In yet another obituary in The Telegraph, former West Bengal finance minister Ashok Mitra describes the scene from the Uttar Pradesh of 1950s, of talukdars donating their land to Vinoba Bhave's bhoodan movement. Mitra writes, "On several occasions, the donated land…either happened to be disputed property, with pending court proceedings, or belonged to someone else. One talukdar stood out in this dubious crowd. He was the young Raja of Manda, Vishwanath Pratap Singh, not yet quite out of his twenties. He gifted away most of his land, land that genuinely belonged to him. His compeer would, behind his back, make fun of his naivete."
Very few among us know that he lost his kidney because he sat on a hunger strike against the Bombay riots in 1993. It was an unusual sight as a former prime minister was sitting on a hunger strike. To save himself from going out to urinate, he stopped taking water and in turn lost his kidneys.
Mr. Singh also dabbled in Hindi and English poetry, as well as painting and photography. Exhibitions of his artwork have been held in prominent galleries.
Humble and respectful tributes and salutes to the great son of India, that is Bharat . . .
Born on June 25, 1931 at Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh, the Law student at Udai Pratap College, Varanasi, and later physics student at Fergusson College, Pune, V P Singh remains one of the most hated politicians even after almost 25 years of demitting office. The Hindu upper caste would never forgive him for the single act of 'Mandalisation' of Indian society, which finally resulted in a clear change in India's parliament. Though, he was often blamed for implementation of the Mandal Commission Report, the fact was that implementation of Mandal Commission Report was part of National Front manifesto. He was just following the manifesto. Moreover, even if he did it for political purposes, why did the champions of social justice not support it? V.P. Singh was essentially a loner in politics. In the dirty word of politics, where personal loyalties are considered important and money plays an important role, he kept himself away from all this.
At the time when even the local corporation member did not travel without a few gun trotting guards and streams of vehicles, Mr. V.P. Singh could shun publicity and security. In fact immediately after demitting the office, he asked the government to withdraw his SPG.
V.P. Singh is often charged with playing politics. His detractors found it difficult to counter him argumentatively as though Singh might not have been a rebel rouser in political sense as he never lost sight of decency and could mingle with people very easily speaking with them in chaste Bhojpuri, yet because of his sheer conviction and clean personal life, none of them could really challenge him.
His files were traced and journalists like M.J.Akbar were used to get stories published in newspapers like Hindustan Times and Telegraph that Singh has an account in St Kitts. The business-journalist-right wing nexus is very powerful in India and politicians use it. V. P. Singh was perhaps the only politician who not only shunned businessmen but also the middlemen Babas. He did not hesitate in raiding the industrial houses who were involved in fincial bunglings, he also tried to investigate the illegal accounts of political class.
Singh gave Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar a due place in the history of India, in the centenary celebration of Baba Saheb Ambedkar, the entire literature of Baba Saheb was got translated in Hindi and made available to all the countrymen. Not only Baba Saheb Ambedkar was posthumously awarded Bharat Ratna, his photograph also adores the Parliament House, which should have been done long back.
Today, Ambedkar Jayanti is a national holiday and all the governments have to publish tribute to Ambedkar on his birth and death ceremonies. Whether they do it out of conviction or compulsion that is another matter but VP Singh initiated the process and they remain unchangeable now. These things might look smaller and political but they are important when we see it from historical perspective of the people whose history have always been denied and unacknowledged.
Few are aware of his contribution in the enactment of the Right to Information Act and the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. In a poignant obituary of Singh, RTI’s principal architects, Aruna Roy and Nikhil Dey, wrote in the Indian Express, "When the history of these two legislations are more comprehensively written, there will be many architects and strategists who will finally get the credit they never sought… VP Singh was one of them. He will always be cited for implementing the Mandal Commission report. But that alone is not his contribution… It will be a grave injustice to him and posterity however, if his role as a statesman politician in establishing the rights of the poor is not acknowledged." Roy and Dey then went to add, "For those of us who were small fish swimming against the tide of the Indian political discourse, he inspired tenacity, imparted humour, and provided sustained practical support and advice."
In yet another obituary in The Telegraph, former West Bengal finance minister Ashok Mitra describes the scene from the Uttar Pradesh of 1950s, of talukdars donating their land to Vinoba Bhave's bhoodan movement. Mitra writes, "On several occasions, the donated land…either happened to be disputed property, with pending court proceedings, or belonged to someone else. One talukdar stood out in this dubious crowd. He was the young Raja of Manda, Vishwanath Pratap Singh, not yet quite out of his twenties. He gifted away most of his land, land that genuinely belonged to him. His compeer would, behind his back, make fun of his naivete."
Very few among us know that he lost his kidney because he sat on a hunger strike against the Bombay riots in 1993. It was an unusual sight as a former prime minister was sitting on a hunger strike. To save himself from going out to urinate, he stopped taking water and in turn lost his kidneys.
Mr. Singh also dabbled in Hindi and English poetry, as well as painting and photography. Exhibitions of his artwork have been held in prominent galleries.
Humble and respectful tributes and salutes to the great son of India, that is Bharat . . .
