Former PM Chaudhary Charan Singh will be posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna for ‘dedicating his life for the rights of farmers,’ PM Modi said.
A lawyer by profession, Singh moved to Meerut in 1929 to kickstart his political career. He joined Congress in the early days.
Singh’s first big political break came in 1937 when he was elected to the UP Assembly. He was re-elected for four more terms.
Then-UP CM Govind Ballabh Pant elevated Singh to the position of parliamentary secretary in 1946. He was given a cabinet portfolio in 1951.
Singh snipped ties with Congress in 1967 and became UP’s CM as the leader of Sanyukta Vidhayak Dal coalition. He started his second term in 1970.
Singh was India's PM for just 23 days. He had to resign after Congress led by Indira Gandhi withdrew support to his government in 1979.
After resigning in August 1979, Singh said he did not want to lead a govt formed in alliance with the Congress. He was caretaker PM till January 1980.
Singh was labelled as the face of Indian farmers. His policies focused on improving the lives of farmers and making them financially independent.