Giani A gyani or giani (Punjabi: ਗਿਆਨੀ ) is an honorific Sikh title used by someone learned in the Sikh religion and who often leads the congregation in prayers, such as Ardas, or in singing ( kirtan). The word means "knowledge" in Punja ...

Zail Singh (, born Jarnail Singh; 5 May 1916 – 25 December 1994) was an

Indian politician Politics of India works within the framework of the country's Constitution. India is a parliamentary democratic secular republic in which the president of India is the head of state & first citizen of India and the prime minister of India i ...

from

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi Language, Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also Romanization, romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the I ...

who served as the seventh

president of India The president of India ( IAST: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces. Droupadi Murm ...

from 1982 to 1987. He was the first

Sikh Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...

and the first person from a

backward caste The Other Backward Class is a collective term used by the Government of India to classify castes which are educationally or socially backward. It is one of several official classifications of the population of India, along with General castes, ...

to become president. Born in Sandhwan in the

princely state A princely state (also called native state or Indian state) was a nominally sovereign entity of the British Indian Empire that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule, subject to ...

of Faridkot, Singh trained to be a

granthi A Granthi ( pa, ਗ੍ਰੰਥੀ, ) is a person, female or male, of the Sikh religion who is a ceremonial reader of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib, which is the Holy Book in Sikhism, often read to worshipers at Sikh temples called a Gurdwara. The n ...

and was given the title of

giani A gyani or giani (Punjabi: ਗਿਆਨੀ ) is an honorific Sikh title used by someone learned in the Sikh religion and who often leads the congregation in prayers, such as Ardas, or in singing ( kirtan). The word means "knowledge" in Punja ...

, meaning a learned man, while training at the Sikh Missionary School in

Amritsar Amritsar (), historically also known as Rāmdāspur and colloquially as ''Ambarsar'', is the second largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana. It is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre, located in the Majha ...

. Singh was associated with peasant agitations and the movement seeking a representative government in Faridkot. His political activism in the Praja Mandal, an organization allied with the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British E ...

, saw him sentenced to

solitary confinement Solitary confinement is a form of imprisonment in which the inmate lives in a single cell with little or no meaningful contact with other people. A prison may enforce stricter measures to control contraband on a solitary prisoner and use additi ...

between 1938 and 1943. He led the flag satyagraha and formed a parallel government in Faridkot State which were called off only after the intervention of

Jawaharlal Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian Anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India du ...

and

Vallabhbhai Patel Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel (; ; 31 October 1875 – 15 December 1950), commonly known as Sardar, was an Indian lawyer, influential political leader, barrister and statesman who served as the first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of I ...

. The stints in jail inspired him to change his name to Zail Singh. After

independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the stat ...

, Faridkot was merged with the

Patiala and East Punjab States Union Patiala () is a city in southeastern Punjab, northwestern India. It is the fourth largest city in the state and is the administrative capital of Patiala district. Patiala is located around the ''Qila Mubarak'' (the 'Fortunate Castle') constructe ...

and Singh served as its minister of revenue and agriculture during 1949–51 and oversaw the introduction of

land reform Land reform is a form of agrarian reform involving the changing of laws, regulations, or customs regarding land ownership. Land reform may consist of a government-initiated or government-backed property redistribution, generally of agricultura ...

s in Punjab. Singh was a member of the

Rajya Sabha The Rajya Sabha, constitutionally the Council of States, is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of India. , it has a maximum membership of 245, of which 233 are elected by the legislatures of the states and union territories using si ...

during 1956–62 and member of the

Punjab Legislative Assembly The Punjab Legislative Assembly or the Punjab Vidhan Sabha is the unicameral legislature of the state of Punjab in India. The Sixteenth Punjab Legislative Assembly was constituted in March 2022. At present, it consists of 117 members, di ...

during 1962–67 during which time he served briefly as a minister under

Partap Singh Kairon Partap Singh Kairon (1 October 1901 – 6 February 1965) was the Chief Minister of the Punjab province (then comprising Punjab, Haryana and part of Himachal Pradesh), and is widely acknowledged as the architect of post-Independence Punjab Pro ...

. He had served as president of PEPSU Pradesh Congress Committee during 1955–56 and became president of

Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (or Punjab PCC), formerly known as the Punjab Provincial Congress Committee in colonial India, is the affiliate of the Indian National Congress in the state of Punjab. On 9 April 2022, Amrinder Singh Raja War ...

in 1966 serving in that post until his election as Chief Minister of Punjab in 1972. As Chief Minister, Singh is credited with having established India’s first semiconductor manufacturing unit in

Mohali Mohali, officially known as Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar, is a planned city in the Mohali district in Punjab, India, which is an administrative and a commercial hub lying south-west of Chandigarh. It is the headquarters of the Mohali district. ...

, legislating the Punjab Land Reforms Act of 1972, ensuring reservation for

Mazhabi Sikh Mazhabi Sikh (also known as Mazbhabi, Mazbhi, Majhabhi or Majabhi) is a community from Northern India, especially Punjab region, who follow Sikhism. The word ''Mazhabi'' is derived from the Arabic term ''mazhab'' (Mazhab means religion or sect ...

s and Valmikis in education and public employment and repatriating the remains of Udham Singh which were then cremated in Punjab with state honours. Singh’s policies aimed to undercut the influence of the Shiromani Akali Dal party by championing Sikh religious causes. Following the defeat of the Congress Party in the elections of 1977, Singh and

Sanjay Gandhi Sanjay Gandhi (14 December 1946 23 June 1980) was an Indian politician and the younger son of Indira Gandhi and Feroze Gandhi. He was a member of parliament, Lok Sabha and the Nehru–Gandhi family. During his lifetime, he was widely expected ...

extended political and financial support to

Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale Sant may refer to: People * Alfred Sant (born 1948), Maltese politician * Andrew Sant (born 1950), English-born Australian poet * David Sant (born 1968), Catalan director, actor and writer * Indira Sant (1914–2000), Indian poet * James Sant ...

, a radical Sikh preacher. Bhindranwale soon became the flagbearer of Sikh separatism and an

insurgency An insurgency is a violent, armed rebellion against authority waged by small, lightly armed bands who practice guerrilla warfare from primarily rural base areas. The key descriptive feature of insurgency is its asymmetric nature: small irr ...

seeking the establishment of

Khalistan The Khalistan movement is a Sikh separatist movement seeking to create a homeland for Sikhs by establishing a sovereign state, called Khālistān (' Land of the Khalsa'), in the Punjab region. The proposed state would consist of land that cur ...

broke out in Punjab. Elected to the

Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha, constitutionally the House of the People, is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament, with the upper house being the Rajya Sabha. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-p ...

in 1980, Singh was appointed India’s Home Minister by Prime Minister

Indira Gandhi Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (; Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and a central figure of the Indian National Congress. She was elected as third prime minister of India in 1966 ...

. His stint saw insurgencies in Punjab and

Assam Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...

. In 1982, he was elected

President of India The president of India ( IAST: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces. Droupadi Murmu ...

, succeeding

Neelam Sanjiva Reddy Neelam Sanjiva Reddy (; 19 May 1913 – 1 June 1996) was an Indian politician who served as the sixth President of India, serving from 1977 to 1982. Beginning a long political career with the Indian National Congress Party in the independence ...

. The initial years of his presidency saw the

Operation Blue Star Operation Blue Star was the codename of a military operation which was carried out by Indian security forces between 1 and 10 June 1984 in order to remove Damdami Taksal leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his followers from the buildings of ...

, the

assassination of Indira Gandhi Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated at 9:30 a.m. on 31 October 1984 at her residence in Safdarjung Road, New Delhi. She was killed by her bodyguards Satwant Singh and Beant Singh in the aftermath of Operation Blue Star, ...

, and the

1984 anti-Sikh riots The 1984 Anti-Sikh Riots, also known as the 1984 Sikh Massacre, was a series of organised pogroms against Sikhs in India following the assassination of Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards. Government estimates project that about 2,800 Sikhs ...

. After

Rajiv Gandhi Rajiv Gandhi (; 20 August 1944 – 21 May 1991) was an Indian politician who served as the sixth prime minister of India from 1984 to 1989. He took office after the 1984 assassination of his mother, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, to beco ...

became Prime Minister, relations with Singh turned frosty with the

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

refusing to meet with or inform the president on matters of policy and placing curbs on his foreign and domestic travels. Singh hit back by questioning government policy and subjecting proposals sent to him to minute scrutiny. In 1986, he employed a pocket veto on the Indian Post Office (Amendment) Bill passed by Parliament. Allegations of corruption in the procurement of

howitzer A howitzer () is a long- ranged weapon, falling between a cannon (also known as an artillery gun in the United States), which fires shells at flat trajectories, and a mortar, which fires at high angles of ascent and descent. Howitzers, like ot ...

s from Bofors, the government’s refusal to furnish the documents sought for by President Singh and his much-publicized reproach to the government led to speculation that Singh intended to dismiss the government of Rajiv Gandhi. Singh however retired at the end of his tenure in 1987 and was succeeded as president by

R. Venkataraman Ramaswamy Venkataraman (, 4 December 191027 January 2009) was an Indian lawyer, Indian independence activist and politician who served as a Union Minister and as the eighth president of India. Venkataraman was born in Rajamadam village in Ta ...

. Singh died in 1994 of injuries sustained in a road accident. His

samadhi ''Samadhi'' (Pali and sa, समाधि), in Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism and yogic schools, is a state of meditative consciousness. In Buddhism, it is the last of the eight elements of the Noble Eightfold Path. In the Ashtanga Yoga ...

is at the Ekta Sthal in Delhi. Singh’s memoirs were published in 1997. His birth centenary was celebrated in 2016 where a documentary film and a book on his life were released.

Early life

He was born in Sandhwan,

Faridkot district Faridkot district is one of the 23 districts in the state of Punjab, India with Faridkot city as the district headquarters. Etymology The district is named after its headquarters, Faridkot city, which in turn is named in the honor of Baba F ...

on 5 May 1916 to Kishan Singh and Ind Kaur, as the youngest of their five children. He was a

Ramgarhia The Ramgarhia is a caste from the Punjab region of northwestern India, encompassing members of the Lohar and Tarkhan subgroups. Etymology Originally called Thoka, meaning ''carpenter'', the Ramgarhia are named after Jassa Singh Ramgarhia, whos ...

Sikh, belonging to a

associated with

carpentry Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. Carpenters tr ...

. Although his formal education ended with matriculation, Singh trained to be a

and studied at the Shaheed Sikh Missionary College in Amritsar where he was given the title of

as a mark of his knowledge of the scriptures. Although his grasp of English was less than fluent, he was known for his earthy speeches in the

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

Punjabi languages. He married Pardhan Kaur with whom he had three daughters and a son. His nephew,

Kultar Singh Sandhwan Kultar Singh Sandhwan (Punjabi language, Punjabi: ਕੁਲਤਾਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਸੰਧਵਾਂ) is an Indian politician who is currently serving as the 18th and current Speaker of the Punjab Legislative Assembly from 21 March 2022. He is a ...

, became

Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** I ...

of the

in 2022.

Praja Mandal

In 1936, Singh was imprisoned for a year for his participation in the Kisan Morcha. In 1938, Singh founded the Praja Mandal, a political organization allied to the

All India States Peoples' Conference The All India States Peoples' Conference (AISPC) was a conglomeration of political movements in the princely states of the British Raj, which were variously called ''Praja Mandals'' or ''Lok Parishads''.; The first session of the organisation wa ...

, in Faridkot. The Mandal sought the establishment of an elected government in the

- a demand rejected by its ruler, Sir Harinder Singh Brar. Singh was jailed between 1938 and 1943, spending time in solitary confinement in a Faridkot prison. Upon his release in 1943, he was forced to leave Faridkot but took up the cause of the people's movement in Faridkot outside the state. It is during his time in prison that Singh changed his name from Jarnail Singh to Zail Singh. In 1946, he launched a

satyagraha Satyagraha ( sa, सत्याग्रह; ''satya'': "truth", ''āgraha'': "insistence" or "holding firmly to"), or "holding firmly to truth",' or "truth force", is a particular form of nonviolent resistance or civil resistance. Someone w ...

against the Faridkot government and was involved in the Flag agitation of that year for which he was imprisoned. The flag agitation ended with the Nehru-Harinder Pact by which the

maharaja Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king". A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, an ...

agreed to the formation of political associations in the state and revoked the ban on hoisting the Congress flag in Faridkot. The maharaja's failure to fully implement the pact led to a renewed agitation in the state in 1948 when Praja Mandal activists besieged the state's secretariat and Zail Singh declared the formation of a parallel government in Faridkot. The agitation ended only after the intervention of

Sardar Patel Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel (; ; 31 October 1875 – 15 December 1950), commonly known as Sardar, was an Indian lawyer, influential political leader, barrister and statesman who served as the first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of I ...

with the maharaja agreeing to free Singh and three other ministers of the parallel government from prison besides Praja Mandal activists arrested for their participation in the agitation. In 1948, the States Ministry of India merged Faridkot with the other Phulkian states of Punjab to form the

Political career in independent India (1947–1972)

In January 1949, Singh became minister for revenue in the government of PEPSU under Chief Minister

Gian Singh Rarewala Sardar Gian Singh Rarewala (16 December 1901 – 31 December 1979) was an Indian politician and the first Chief Minister (actually designated as the Prime Minister) of the former Indian state of Patiala and East Punjab States Union. Early life ...

. The Rarewala ministry however was replaced with a caretaker government within ten months of its formation owing to political dissension. In 1951, Col. Raghbir Singh became the Chief Minister and Zail Singh was appointed minister for agriculture. His actions as minister include the repeal of the Criminal Tribes Act, the promulgation of the Political Sufferers ordinance and changes introduced to land laws that abolished the right of the Raja of Faridkot to seize lands of the peasants and removing the privileges enjoyed by landlords under existing land laws. He piloted the Biswedar Abolition Ordinance that provided for the appropriation without compensation of land owned by the landlords and tenancy rights to the cultivators. In the elections of 1952, Singh lost from the

Kotkapura Kot Kapura is a historic city in Faridkot district, some 50 km from Bathinda, 40 km from Moga and 30 km from Muktsar in the state of Punjab, India. It is the largest city in the Faridkot District and has a large cotton market. ...

Jaito Jaitu (sometimes written as Jaito, also known as Gangsar Jaitu) is a historical city. Jaitu is a municipal council in Faridkot district in the Indian state of Punjab. It is subdivision in Ferozepur Division. It is from Bathinda, from Ludhiana ...

constituency. He became president of PEPSU Pradesh Congress Committee during 1955-56 when it was merged with Punjab. During 1956 to 1962, he served as Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha. He resigned his membership in March 1962 to contest the Punjab state assembly elections and won from the Faridkot constituency. He briefly served as a minister in the Partap Singh Kairon ministry but resigned in the wake of the 1962 war with China and the reduction in size of the ministry. In 1966, Singh became president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee a post he held until his appointment as Chief Minister in 1972. Although he did not contest the election of 1967, he was re-elected to the Punjab Assembly from

Anandpur Sahib Anandpur Sahib, sometimes referred to simply as Anandpur (lit. "city of bliss"), is a city in Rupnagar district (Ropar), on the edge of Shivalik Hills, in the Indian state of Punjab. Located near the Sutlej River, the city is one of the most s ...

through a byelection in 1970.

Chief Minister of Punjab (1972–77)

In the 1972 elections to the

, Singh was elected from Anandpur Sahib constituency. The Congress Party won a majority and formed the government with Singh as

Chief Minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union terri ...

. He and a ten member ministry were sworn in on 17 March 1972. Singh was the first

Other Backward Class The Other Backward Class is a collective term used by the Government of India to classify castes which are educationally or socially backward. It is one of several official classifications of the population of India, along with General castes, S ...

leader and the only non-Jat Sikh to be elected Chief Minister of Punjab since its reorganization in 1966 until 2021 when Charanjit Singh Channi, a Dalit Sikh, became Chief Minister. From the outset Singh projected himself as a champion of the

Sikh religion Sikhism (), also known as Sikhi ( pa, ਸਿੱਖੀ ', , from pa, ਸਿੱਖ, lit=disciple', 'seeker', or 'learner, translit=Sikh, label=none),''Sikhism'' (commonly known as ''Sikhī'') originated from the word ''Sikh'', which comes fro ...

, in part, because he did not belong to the dominant Jat caste and also to counter the Akali Dal party. As part of this policy, he inaugurated the

Guru Gobind Singh Marg Guru Gobind Singh Marg is the historical route taken by tenth guru of Sikhs Guru Gobind Singh from Anandpur Sahib to Talwandi Sabo in year 1705. Sikh people contemplate this marg as pious and holy as their guru passed through it. This memorable ...

– a highway linking Punjab’s most prominent

gurudwaras A gurdwara (sometimes written as gurudwara) (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰਾ ''guradu'ārā'', meaning "Door to the Guru") is a place of assembly and worship for Sikhs. Sikhs also refer to gurdwaras as ''Gurdwara Sahib''. People from all faiths ...

, renamed several government hospitals after

Sikh gurus The Sikh gurus ( Punjabi: ਸਿੱਖ ਗੁਰੂ) are the spiritual masters of Sikhism, who established this religion over the course of about two and a half centuries, beginning in 1469. The year 1469 marks the birth of Guru Nanak, the found ...

, started the

Guru Nanak Dev University The university is Entitled by University Grants Commission to offer higher studies degree courses online. Guru Nanak Dev University's campus is spread over near village of Kot Khalsa, nearly west of the Amritsar, next to Khalsa College, A ...

in Amritsar and renamed a town near

Chandigarh Chandigarh () is a planned city in India. Chandigarh is bordered by the state of Punjab to the west and the south, and by the state of Haryana to the east. It constitutes the bulk of the Chandigarh Capital Region or Greater Chandigarh, which al ...

after one of

Guru Gobind Singh Guru Gobind Singh (; 22 December 1666 – 7 October 1708), born Gobind Das or Gobind Rai the tenth Sikh Guru, a spiritual master, warrior, poet and philosopher. When his father, Guru Tegh Bahadur, was executed by Aurangzeb, Guru Gobind Sing ...

’s sons. In response to their electoral setbacks, Akali politicians gathered at

in October 1972 and passed a

resolution Resolution(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Resolution (debate), the statement which is debated in policy debate * Resolution (law), a written motion adopted by a deliberative body * New Year's resolution, a commitment that an individual mak ...

demanding greater autonomy to Punjab and self-determination for the Sikhs. Singh’s government enacted the Punjab Land Reforms Act, 1972 which fixed land ceilings at 18 acres per family. Several key provisions of the Act were struck down the following year by the

Punjab and Haryana High Court Punjab and Haryana High Court is the common High Court for the Indian states of Punjab and Haryana and the Union Territory of Chandigarh based in Chandigarh, India. Sanctioned strength of Judges of this High Court is 85 consisting of 64 Per ...

prompting a further appeal by the state government in India's

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

. The Act, which also provided for redistribution of surplus land, failed in its implementation and consequently there was little change in

land ownership In common law systems, land tenure, from the French verb "tenir" means "to hold", is the legal regime in which land owned by an individual is possessed by someone else who is said to "hold" the land, based on an agreement between both individual ...

. Singh introduced a scheme for life-long

pension A pension (, from Latin ''pensiō'', "payment") is a fund into which a sum of money is added during an employee's employment years and from which payments are drawn to support the person's retirement from work in the form of periodic payments ...

for participants in India’s independence movement. In 1974 Singh repatriated the remains of Udham Singh from the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

which were then taken in a procession to Punjab, cleverly utilizing the media attention and popular interest in it to burnish his credentials. The remains were cremated in

Sunam Sunam Udham Singh Wala is a town and a tehsil, near city of Sangrur in Sangrur district in the Indian state of Punjab. The city of Sunam Udham Singh Wala, which falls in Sunam Udham Singh Wala tehsil, was previously known only as Sunam. The ...

with full state honours and Singh himself lit the

funeral pyre A pyre ( grc, πυρά; ''pyrá'', from , ''pyr'', "fire"), also known as a funeral pyre, is a structure, usually made of wood, for burning a body as part of a funeral rite or execution. As a form of cremation, a body is placed upon or under the ...

. He also took to honouring the legacy of

Bhagat Singh Bhagat Singh (27 September 1907 – 23 March 1931) was a charismatic Indian revolutionary* * who participated in the mistaken murder of a junior British police officer * * in what was to be retaliation for the death of an Indian nationa ...

, declaring a gazetted holiday on his birthday, converting his ancestral home at Khatkar Kalan into a museum and honouring his mother with the title of ‘Punjab Mata’. He was also responsible for getting the Department of Electronics to establish the Semiconductor Complex Limited at

in 1974 overriding their preferred choice of

Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

. This was India’s first

semiconductor A semiconductor is a material which has an electrical resistivity and conductivity, electrical conductivity value falling between that of a electrical conductor, conductor, such as copper, and an insulator (electricity), insulator, such as glas ...

fabricating unit. It became operational in 1983 and manufactured

integrated chips An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit (also referred to as an IC, a chip, or a microchip) is a set of electronic circuits on one small flat piece (or "chip") of semiconductor material, usually silicon. Transistor count, Large ...

using American knowhow. In 1975, Singh introduced a reservation of fifty per cent of jobs for Valmikis and Mazhabi Sikhs under the quota of jobs reserved for the

scheduled castes The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are officially designated groups of people and among the most disadvantaged socio-economic groups in India. The terms are recognized in the Constitution of India and the groups are designa ...

. The move aimed to consolidate the dalit vote behind the Congress Party and enhanced his own standing amongst them. Following the imposition of the Emergency of 1975, Singh zealously implemented the policies of

’s five point program. The national population policy with its focus on compulsory sterilization was implemented often through coercive steps of the police and administration. Singh was forced to implement the policy, in part, to retain favour with Sanjay Gandhi, whom he had once described as his savior, and to stave off the challenge to his leadership from other Congress leaders of Punjab, notably

Mohinder Singh Gill Mohinder Singh Gill is a retired Indian triple jumper who competed at the 1972 Munich Olympics. Gill won 52 major international invitational competitions in North America and Europe, setting 19 new records in the process. In addition, he won fiv ...

who was the party’s president. In the general elections of 1977 that followed the Emergency, the Congress party for the first time failed to win even a single seat from Punjab. Singh’s tenure as Chief Minister ended on 30 April 1977 when Punjab was placed under

President's rule In India, President's rule is the suspension of state government and imposition of direct Union government rule in a state. Under Article 356 of the Constitution of India, if a state government is unable to function according to Constitutional ...

. In the elections to the state assembly held in June 1977, the Shiromani Akali Dal was elected to office winning 58 out of 104 seats in the Legislative Assembly. The defeat of the Congress Party in the elections of 1977 led Sanjay Gandhi and Zail Singh to look for a Sikh leader who would weaken the Akali Dal by espousing a strident stand on matters of Sikh faith thus undercutting the Akalis. The tactic was inspired partly by Partap Singh Kairon who, as Chief Minister, had propped up

Sant Fateh Singh Fateh Singh (27 October 1911 – 30 October 1972) was an Indian Sikh religious and political leader, and a key figure in the Punjabi Suba movement. He was revered as Sant Fateh Singh among his followers. Early days Fateh Singh was the son o ...

as a counter to the Akali leader Tara Singh during the 1960s. Their choice was

who was then a little known Sikh preacher but would go on to be a

Frankenstein's monster Frankenstein's monster or Frankenstein's creature, often referred to as simply "Frankenstein", is a fictional character who first appeared in Mary Shelley's 1818 novel ''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus''. Shelley's title thus compares ...

for his patrons. Bhindranwale came to limelight in 1978 when a clash between his followers and Nirankari Sikhs led to the death of a dozen people. The Congress party lionized Bhindranwale and helped him establish the Dal Khalsa party. In the general elections of 1980, Bhindranwale even campaigned for Congress candidates.

Union Minister of Home Affairs (1980-1982)

In the general election of 1980, which the Congress Party under Mrs Gandhi won, Singh was elected to

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

from

Hoshiarpur Hoshiarpur () is a city and a Municipal corporations in India, municipal corporation in Hoshiarpur district in the Doaba region of the Indian state of Punjab, India, Punjab. It was founded, according to tradition, during the early part of the ...

. He was inducted into the

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

Minister of Home Affairs An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...

on 14 January 1980 continuing in that post till 22 June 1982. The Punjab government under

Parkash Singh Badal Parkash Singh Badal ( pa, ਪ੍ਰਕਾਸ਼ ਸਿੰਘ ਬਾਦਲ; born 8 December 1927) is an Indian politician who was Chief Minister of Punjab state from 1970 to 1971, from 1977 to 1980, from 1997 to 2002, and from 2007 to 2017. He i ...

was dismissed and the state brought under President’s rule in February 1980. In the elections held in June, the Congress Party won a majority in the Assembly and

Darbara Singh Darbara Singh (10 February 1916 — 10 March 1990) was the Chief Minister of Punjab from 1980 to 1983. Freedom struggle and provincial politics Sardar Darbara Singh (1916–1990), born into the prosperous Jatt zamindar family of Sardar D ...

, a political rival of Zail Singh, was appointed Chief Minister. The out of power Akali Dal now revived the demands in the Anandpur Sahib resolution and allied with pro-Khalistan forces abroad. The factionalism in the Congress and the political feuding between Zail Singh and Darbara Singh further complicated the situation in Punjab and prevented resolute administrative action against the insurgents. Bhindranwale was able to use the discord between the central and state governments to his advantage. Bhindranwale was suspected of involvement in the murders of the Nirankari

guru Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverentia ...

Gurbachan Singh Gurbachan Singh (10 December 1930 – 24 April 1980) was the third guru of the Sant Nirankari sect, considered to be heterodox by all Sikhs. He was born in Peshawar (modern-day Pakistan). He was declared next Baba by his father and predecesso ...

in April 1980 and of the newspaper magnate Lala Jagat Narain in September 1981. Even though arrest warrants were issued against him, Bhindranwale, who was then in the state of

Haryana Haryana (; ) is an Indian state located in the northern part of the country. It was carved out of the former state of East Punjab on 1 Nov 1966 on a linguistic basis. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with less than 1.4% () of India's land ar ...

, was able to escape to his gurudwara in the Punjab in an official car provided to him by the Chief Minister of that state on the instructions of Singh. Bhindranwale gave himself up for arrest later that month but was released from jail in October following widespread unrest in the Punjab and after Singh declared in Parliament that Bhindranwale was not involved in Narain’s murder. In each of these instances even as Darbara Singh wanted to crack down on Bhindranwale, Zail Singh intervened on his behalf in the hope of using him as a pawn in his political battle against Darbara Singh. Bhindranwale's release served to demoralize the Punjab Police as they now became targets for Sikh extremists and furthered emboldened Bhindranwale. Similarly, requests to ban the Dal Khalsa by the state government were stonewalled by the Union Home Ministry before the Prime Minister intervened to have the ban imposed. Singh’s tenure as India’s Home Minister has generally been viewed unfavourably. He was seen as a weak and inept minister who was appointed to prevent him from developing strong base in Punjab and as someone who mishandled crises in the Punjab,

Kashmir Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...

and the North East.

President of India (1982-1987)

Zail Singh President of India with Bhim Singh

In June 1982, Singh was chosen by the Congress party to be its candidate for the

presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The pre ...

to succeed

, rejecting a proposal by the opposition to have a consenus candidate. A group of ten opposition parties decided to field the Communist politician

Hiren Mukherjee Hirendranath Mukhopadhyay (23 November 1907 – 30 July 2004), also known as Hiren Mukerjee, was an Indian politician, lawyer and academic. He was a member of the Communist Party of India having joined in 1936 when it was still illegal. He was ...

as their candidate. Singh’s nomination was seen as a gesture to the Sikhs at a time when the separatist agitation for Khalistan was gaining popularity. However, it was also aimed at keeping Singh out of active politics allowing Singh’s bête noire Darbara Singh to run the Punjab government without interference from the Centre. Singh’s loyalty to the Prime Minister was another reason for his nomination as the Congress party was unsure of its prospects in the general elections scheduled for 1985. The opposition’s original candidate was dropped as Mukherjee was not a registered voter, which is a prerequisite for any person contesting a presidential election.

Hans Raj Khanna Hans Raj Khanna (3 July 1912 – 25 February 2008) was an Indian judge, jurist and advocate who propounded the basic structure doctrine in 1973 and attempted to uphold civil liberties during the time of Emergency in India in a lone dissenting ...

, a former judge of the

Supreme Court of India The Supreme Court of India ( IAST: ) is the supreme judicial authority of India and is the highest court of the Republic of India under the constitution. It is the most senior constitutional court, has the final decision in all legal matters ...

who had defended

fundamental rights Fundamental rights are a group of rights that have been recognized by a high degree of protection from encroachment. These rights are specifically identified in a constitution, or have been found under due process of law. The United Nations' Sustai ...

and championed the inviolability of the

basic structure The basic structure doctrine is a common law legal doctrine that the constitution of a sovereign state has certain characteristics that cannot be erased by its legislature. The doctrine is recognised in India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Pakistan, and ...

of the constitution during the Emergency and was subsequently overlooked for appointment as Chief Justice, became the opposition candidate. The election was held on 12 July 1982 with the electoral college comprising 756

members of parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

and 3827 members of legislative assemblies. When the votes were counted on 15 July, Singh emerged the winner with 7,54,113 votes, or 72.7 per cent, against Khanna’s 2,82,685 votes and was declared elected the same day by the

returning officer In various parliamentary systems, a returning officer is responsible for overseeing elections in one or more constituencies. Australia In Australia a returning officer is an employee of the Australian Electoral Commission or a state electoral c ...

. Singh won a majority in each of India’s state assemblies except for

West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...

and

Tripura Tripura (, Bengali: ) is a state in Northeast India. The third-smallest state in the country, it covers ; and the seventh-least populous state with a population of 36.71 lakh ( 3.67 million). It is bordered by Assam and Mizoram to the east a ...

. Singh was sworn in the seventh President of India on 25 July 1982. He was the first Sikh as also the first person from a

to become president.

Indira Gandhi Ministry (1982-1984)

Singh was known for his loyalty to Prime Minister

and had remarked that he would pick up a broom and become a sweeper if she were to ask him to do so. It was reported that Singh would walk down to the South Court of Rashtrapati Bhavan to receive her when she called on him, even opening her car door in breach of all protocol. In 1983 New Delhi hosted both the 7th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement, seventh summit of the Non-Aligned Movement and the 1983 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. Elizabeth II, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip arrived on a State visit, state visit in November 1983, as the guests of President Singh and stayed at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. As President, he spoke out against the Akali Dal’s assertion that Sikhs were being discriminated against in India, challenged the rule of Jathedar, jathedars and the role of religious leaders in the separatist movement in Punjab, and criticized the use of Gurdwara, Sikh shrines as sanctuaries by criminals. In June 1984, the Indian Army launched

to neutralize Sikh militants based in the Golden Temple , Golden Temple complex in

. Singh was not appraised of these plans neither when Punjab was brought under President's rule, President’s Rule nor when Prime Minister Gandhi met him for a routine briefing the day before the operation was launched. When Singh visited the Golden Temple complex on 8 June, he was shot at by a sniper. Although he was not hit, his security officer was seriously injured. Singh was deeply upset at the damage done to the temple complex. Singh later justified Operation Blue Star saying bloodshed could have been avoided had militants surrendered and urging all Sikhs to ensure that their temples would not in the future be used to house arms and material not sanctioned by Sikh tradition. In September, the Akal Takht, the highest temporal body in Sikhism, condemned Singh for his alleged role in Operation Blue Star and held him guilty of religious misconduct. He was exonerated 24 days later by the Sikh high priests after he expressed contrition and sought forgiveness before the Akal Takht for the ‘unfortunate incidents’ that had happened there. In August 1984, Rashtrapati Bhavan became the venue of an unusual political gathering when N. T. Rama Rao, who had been dismissed as List of chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh by the List of governors of Andhra Pradesh, Governor, met Singh with over 160 Members of the Legislative Assembly. The Governor, Thakur Ram Lal, had appointed N. Bhaskara Rao as the new Chief Minister and provided him a month’s time to prove his majority in the assembly despite the ousted Chief Minister’s claim of being able to prove his own majority in two days’ time and evidence that he was supported by a majority of legislators. Following widespread protests, the Governor was recalled and NT Rama Rao returned as chief minister following a vote of confidence. The Singh presidency saw similar dismissal of state governments and imposition of President’s rule in Jammu and Kashmir (state), Jammu and Kashmir and in Sikkim. Prime Minister Assassination of Indira Gandhi, Indira Gandhi was assassinated on 31 October 1984 by her Sikh bodyguards. Indira’s son

and Minister of Finance (India), Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee were in West Bengal campaigning for upcoming assembly elections while Singh was on a state visit to Yemen Arab Republic, North Yemen. He returned to Delhi the same evening and visited the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, All India Institute of Medical Sciences where Indira Gandhi had been admitted. The presidential cavalcade was pelted with stones en route and violence against Sikhs began in Delhi. After the deaths of Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Nehru in 1964 and Lal Bahadur Shastri, Shastri in 1966, the President had appointed the Gulzarilal Nanda, senior most Cabinet minister as the Acting prime minister, acting Prime Minister while the Indian National Congress, Congress Parliamentary Party went about electing a new leader who would then become Prime Minister. That convention would have required Singh to appoint Pranab Mukherjee as the acting prime minister. However, the Congress Parliamentary Board, which is the executive committee of the parliamentary party, nominated Rajiv Gandhi for appointment as Prime Minister. Accordingly, Singh swore Rajiv Gandhi in as Prime Minister in the evening of 21 October 1984. The choice of Rajiv Gandhi was unanimously approved by the Congress Parliamentary Party three days later.

Rajiv Gandhi Ministry (1984-1987)

Indira Gandhi’s assassination was followed by 1984 anti-Sikh riots, anti-Sikh rioting across India which lasted for four days till 3 November 1984. Although constitutionally the supreme commander of the Indian Armed Forces, Indian armed forces, Singh was unable to act to stop the violence. Tarlochan Singh, President Singh’s Press secretary, Press Secretary, later alleged that although the President had tried to talk to the Prime Minister regarding the rioting in Delhi, Rajiv Gandhi never got back to him and that the Minister of Home Affairs (India), Home Minister, P. V. Narasimha Rao, told him that the government was busy arranging Assassination of Indira Gandhi, Indira Gandhi’s funeral. Singh later admitted that his commitment to the Congress party and to the Constitution of India, Indian constitution were severely tested by these events but he chose to remain in his post. Rajiv Gandhi soon called for General election, parliamentary elections which were held between 1984 Indian general election, 24 and 28 December 1984. The Congress Party won 404 out of the 514 seats, the highest number ever won by a party in India’s general elections. Gandhi and a forty member council of ministers were sworn in on 31 December 1984. However, the relationship between President and Prime Minister quickly turned sour. Rajiv Gandhi viewed Singh as a rustic parvenu whose actions were partly responsible for the imbroglio in the Punjab that had led to his mother’s assassination. As Prime Minister, Gandhi called on Singh only once before the elections and dispensed with the practice of calling on the President to discuss matters of state entirely. Following his cue, Union Ministers too stopped calling on Singh, a situation that lasted for almost two years before Gandhi gave-in and called on Singh in March 1987. The Prime Minister stopped briefing the President about matters of domestic and Foreign relations of India, foreign policy. Gandhi also refused to sanction official visits abroad for Singh and Congress governments in the states began to put off visits by the President. Singh retaliated by subjecting all proposals sent to him to minute scrutiny, seeking explanations from the government on not formulating a policy on judicial appointments, questioning its television coverage policy and cautioning the List of governors of Andhra Pradesh, Governor of Andhra Pradesh, Kumudben Joshi, to desist from interfering in the state’s politics besides seeking an explanation from the Chief Election Commissioner of India about delay in holding scheduled elections in the state of

. These interventions caused the government considerable embarrassment. However, Singh is best remembered for his stance on the Indian Post Office (Amendment) Bill, 1986. The bill, passed by both houses of Parliament, empowered central and state governments to intercept, inspect and detain any items in the Mail, post perceived to be a threat to national security. In effect, the bill gave the government unbridled powers to surveil postal communication and violated Civil and political rights, citizens’ rights. Singh, instead of returning the bill to the parliament for its reconsideration, decided to withhold his assent to it. If the bill were to be sent back parliament, in which the Congress party held an overwhelming majority, it could have reiterated its support for the bill which would have forced Singh to give it his assent. As the Constitution places no time limit within which Presidential assent is to be given to legislation sent to him, Singh decided to keep it in abeyance – thus effecting a pocket veto. The bill remained unsigned even by his successor who returned it to the Rajya Sabha for its reconsideration. During 1986-87, as Bofors scandal, allegations of corruption began to surface in the procurement of Bofors Howitzer, howitzers by the Indian government, Zail Singh sought information regarding the matter from the Government. Prime Minister Gandhi took the stance that the President did not have the right to know every classified matter made available to the Prime Minister or the Union Council of Ministers, Council of Ministers and the Cabinet passed a resolution rejecting Singh’s demand. In Parliament however Gandhi stated that the “president was being fully informed”, a patently false statement. Singh responded by writing to the Prime Minister narrating specific instances where no information had been furnished despite repeated demands. A copy of the letter was leaked to the press. This allegation by the head of state against the head of government served to further reduce the government’s credibility. By 1987, it was widely speculated that President Singh intended to dismiss the Rajiv Gandhi ministry and appoint in its place a caretaker ministry under either R. Venkatraman or P.V. Narasimha Rao. As Singh’s tenure was drawing to a close, it was thought that such a move would lead to a second term in office for him with support from the opposition and members of the Congress party opposed to Rajiv Gandhi. Gandhi, who had strained relations with the Chief of the Army Staff (India), Chief of the Army Staff Krishnaswamy Sundarji, General Sundarji and his Defence Minister Arun Singh (politician, born 1944), Arun Singh, was opposed to giving Singh a further term in office. Singh however never acted on the plan and decided not to seek a second term as he failed to get the open support of the opposition and feared it could lead to an Coup d'état, army takeover.

State Visits

Singh led state visits to Czechoslovakia, India–Qatar relations, Qatar and Bahrain–India relations, Bahrain in 1983, to India–Mexico relations, Mexico and Argentina–India relations, Argentina and to India–Mauritius relations, Mauritius, Yemen Arab Republic, North and South Yemen in 1984. Singh was in Aden, Yemen when Indira Gandhi was assassinated. He also made visits to India–Nepal relations, Nepal, India–Yugoslavia relations, Yugoslavia, Greece–India relations, Greece and India–Poland relations, Poland in 1986. As the relationship between Rajiv Gandhi and Singh soured, the government began sending Vice President of India, Vice President

on trips abroad in place of Singh. Even visits to nations which were customarily made by the head of state began to be made by the vice-president or the prime minister and some, such as a visit to India–Zimbabwe relations, Zimbabwe, which had been finalized were cancelled. Consequently, Singh became one of the least travelled Presidents of India.

Later life and death

Singh was succeeded to the presidency by R. Venkataraman, who was sworn in on 25 July 1987. Singh chose to spend his retirement in Delhi where the government provided him with a bungalow on Circular Road. Singh was severely injured in a Traffic collisions in India, road accident when his car collided with a truck at Kiratpur Sahib in the Rupnagar district, Ropar district of Punjab on 29 November 1994. Singh was admitted to the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in

where he died on 25 December 1994 aged 78. The Government of India declared 7 days of National day of mourning, national mourning. His cremation was held on 26 December in Delhi where his

is located at Ekta Sthal. Singh's autobiography, ''The Memoirs of Giani Zail Singh'', was published in 1996.

Commemoration

A commemorative postage stamp was issued by India's India Posts, Department of Posts on the occasion of Singh's first death anniversary in 1995. The Giani Zail Singh Campus College of Engineering and Technology, Bathinda, Bhatinda is named after him. The birth Centennial, centenary of Singh was celebrated in 2016 at which a documentary film on his life and a book were released in his honour.

Notes

References

External links

* *
Zail Singh Passes Away: A film from the Government of India, Ministry of Information, Films Division
, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Zail 1916 births 1994 deaths Chief Ministers of Punjab, India Indian independence activists Indian Sikhs Ministers of Internal Affairs of India Presidents of India Insurgency in Punjab Punjabi people Road incident deaths in India Lok Sabha members from Punjab, India India MPs 1980–1984 Secretaries-General of the Non-Aligned Movement Chief ministers from Indian National Congress Indian National Congress politicians Rajya Sabha members from Punjab, India Accidental deaths in India