PRIME MINISTERS OF INDIA - 2 - ANSWERS

1. D. K. Kamaraj

Kumaraswami Kamaraj (15 July, 1903– 2 October, 1975) played a leading role in shaping India's destiny after the passing away of Jawaharlal Nehru in 1964, to the Congress split in 1969.

At the age of 18, he joined the Indian Independence Movement and was imprisoned six times spending more than 3000 days in British Jails. Post-Independence, Kamaraj was the 3rd Chief Minister of Madras State (Tamil Nadu) during 1954–1963 and a Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha during 1952–1954 and 1969–1975. As the chief minister of Madras, he was responsible for bringing free education to the disadvantaged and introduced the free Midday Meal Scheme while he himself did not complete schooling. He was perhaps the first Chief Minister of free India “who was not able to speak English nor Hindi”.

In 1963, he suggested to Nehru that senior Congress leaders should leave ministerial posts to take up organizational work. This suggestion came to be known as the 'Kamaraj Plan', which was designed primarily to dispel from the minds of Congressmen the lure for power, creating in its place a dedicated attachment to the objectives and policies of the organization.

He also served as the President of the Indian National Congress for two terms i.e. four years between 1964–1967 and was responsible for the elevation of Lal Bahadur Shastri to the position of Prime Minister of India after Nehru's death and Indira Gandhi after Shastri's death earning him the sobriquet “Kingmaker” in the Indian political realm in the 1960s.

He was awarded with India's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, posthumously in 1976.

2. C. Chandra Shekhar

Vishwanath Pratap Singh (25 June 1931 – 27 November 2008), 7^th Prime Minister of India served as the 12^th Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh from 9 June 1980 to 19 July 1982.

Pamulaparthi Venkata Narasimha Rao (28 June 1921 – 23 December 2004), 9^th Prime Minister of India served as the 4^th Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh from 30 September 1971 to 10 January 1973.

Chaudhary Charan Singh (23 December 1902 – 29 May 1987), 5^th Prime Minister of India served as the 5^th Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh twice from 3 April 1967 – 25 February 1968 and from 18 February 1970 – 1 October 1970.

Chandra Shekhar (17 April 1927 – 8 July 2007), 8^th Prime Minister of India between 10 November 1990 and 21 June 1991, headed a minority government of a breakaway faction of the Janata Dal with outside support from the Indian National Congress as a stop gap arrangement to delay elections. Known as ‘Young Turk’ leader for his conviction, courage and integrity in the fight against vested interested, Chandra Sekhar is the first Indian Prime Minister who has never held any Government office.

The Indian economic crisis, 1991, and the Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi plunged his government into crisis and he had to resign from his post in March, 1991 after Congress withdrew its support.

(Chandra Sekhar)

3. B. South Delhi

In the 1999 Lok Sabha election, Manmohan Singh lost the South Delhi Lok Sabha constituency to Vijay Kumar Malhotra of BJP  by a margin of 30000 votes. 

4. D. Charan Singh

Chaudhary Charan Singh (23 December 1902 – 29 May 1987) served as the 5th Prime Minister of India between 28 July 1979 and 14 January 1980 for 170 days, the lowest tenure among all Prime Ministers of India till date thus becoming the only Prime Minister of India not to face the Parliament.

Charan Singh also served as Deputy Prime Minister (along with Jagjivan Ram), Home Minister and Finance Minister in the first non-congress government of India headed by Morarji Desai.

Historians and people alike frequently refer to him as the “champion of India's peasants”. His association with causes dear to farming communities in India caused his memorial in New Delhi to be named “Kisan Ghat” and his birthday (on 23rd December) to be celebrated as “Kisan Diwas” in India.

5. B. Lord Mountbatten

A special midnight session of the Constituent Assembly was held on the night of 14^th August, 1947 at 11 PM at the Durbar Hall of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. At the beginning, Vande Mataram was sung and a two-minute silence observed for those who sacrificed their lives in the struggle for freedom. At the stroke of midnight at 12 midnight, Jawaharlal Nehru delivered his historic "Tryst with Destiny" speech.

Then the programme began with the swearing-in of Lord Mountbatten as India's first Governor General. Till August 14, 1947 he was Viceroy of the British India government. Once the Governor General took oath, the Prime Minister and other Ministers followed.

“Thus, when the world slept, India awoke to life and freedom.”