Sardar Swaran Singh
Encyclopedia
Sardar Swaran Singh was an India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

n politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

. He was India's longest serving union cabinet minister.
This article is about the Indian politician, not the Uncle of Bhagat Singh

Early life

Saradar Swaran Singh was born on 19th August 1907 in Shankar Village in Jallandhar District of Punjab. He was born into an agricultural family.

He completed his intermediate (High school) ar Rahdhir College in Kapurthala. He then joined Government College, Lahore and completed a degree in Physics with honors.

He then worked as a lecturer in Physics in Khalsa College, Lyallpur. After leaving this job he studied law in Government law college in Lahore and received his L.L.B in 1932.

He started a law practice near his birth village in the nearby town of Jallandhar - he specialised in criminal suits.

The early days

In 1930s he joined the Akali Dal political party and by the mid forties he was a prominent leader in the mid 1940s. He played an important role in the compromise between the Indian national congress party and the Akali Dal in the early 1940s.

Just before the 1946 elections, the panthic party was formed with Baldev Singh
Baldev Singh
Baldev Singh was an Indian Sikh political leader, he was an Indian independence movement leader and the first Defence Minister of India. Moreover, he represented the Punjabi Sikh community in the processes of negotiations that resulted in the independence of India, as well as the Partition of India...

 as the leader and Sardar Swaran Singh was elected its deputy leader. In 1946 he was elected a member of the Punjab legislative assembly. He then became parliamentary secretary to the Punjab Coalition government.

He was a member of the Punjab Partition Committee where he played an important role.

On 15th August 1947, the day of Indian Independence he was sworn in as Home Minister in the cabinet of the state of Punjab. At the same time the capital of the Punjab was shifted from Shimla
Shimla
Shimla , formerly known as Simla, is the capital city of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of the British Raj in India. A popular tourist destination, Shimla is often referred to as the "Queen of Hills," a term coined by the British...

 to Jallandhar.

On 13th May 1952 he resigned his position here when Jawaharlal Nehru included him in the central cabinet.

In the central government

He entered the cabinet of India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...

, in 1952, and was that government's last surviving member. He remained in successive governments until he resigned in November 1975.

He was elected to the Lok Sabha
Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha or House of the People is the lower house of the Parliament of India. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by direct election under universal adult suffrage. As of 2009, there have been fifteen Lok Sabhas elected by the people of India...

 in 1957, 1962, 1967 and 1972.

Cabinet positions

To this date he is the longest-serving union cabinet minister in India.
Ministry Date
Works, Housing and Supplies 1952–1957
Steal Mines and Fuel 1957–1962
Agriculture 1962
Railways 1962–1963
External Affairs 1964–1966
Defense 1966–1970
External Affairs 1970–1974
Defense 1974–1976


He is best known for his role as India's foreign minister.

He was also president of the National Congress in 1969, and 1978.

External Affairs Minister

He visited the USSR in July 1966 along with then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...

.

Swaran Singh Committee

Sardar Swaran Singh was chairperson of the committee entrusted with the responsibility of studying the Constitution of India
Constitution of India
The Constitution of India is the supreme law of India. It lays down the framework defining fundamental political principles, establishes the structure, procedures, powers, and duties of government institutions, and sets out fundamental rights, directive principles, and the duties of citizens...

 in 1976 during the national emergency. Soon after the declaration of the national emergency, Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...

 constituted a committee under the Chairmanship of Sardar Swaran Singh to study the question of amending the constitution in the light of past experiences. Based on its recommendations, the government incorporated several changes to the Constitution including the Preamble, through the Forty-second Amendment of the Constitution of India (passed in 1976 and came into effect on 3 January 1977)

Awards

He was awarded Padma Vibhushan
Padma Vibhushan
The Padma Vibhushan is the second highest civilian award in the Republic of India. It consists of a medal and a citation and is awarded by the President of India. It was established on 2 January 1954. It ranks behind the Bharat Ratna and comes before the Padma Bhushan...

 award in 1992.http://india.gov.in/myindia/padmavibhushan_awards_list1.php Sardar Swaran Singh was also the Uncle to Balbir Singh Purewal, former MP of Jalandhar and President of Lyallpur Khalsa College, Jalandhar.

External links


ategory:Indian politicians]
Category:1907 births
Category:1994 deaths
Category:Indian Sikhs
Category:Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan
Category:Railway Ministers of India
Category:2nd Lok Sabha members
Category:3rd Lok Sabha members
Category:4th Lok Sabha members
Category:5th Lok Sabha members
Category:Ministers for External Affairs of India
de:Sardar Swaran Singh
mr:सरदार स्वरणसिंग
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK